Posted by Elena del Valle on December 12, 2008
The Latino Threat book cover
Photo: Stanford University Press
In his latest book, The Latino Threat Constructing Immigrants, Citizens and the Nation, Leo R. Chavez examines the coverage of recent immigrants with the desire to illustrate how prejudices have been the basis to wrong a segment of the population and outline the meaning of American.
The 256-page paperback book is divided into seven chapters and two parts: Constructing and Challenging Myths; and Media Spectacles and the Production of Neoliberal Citizen Subjects.
Chavez argues that immigrant groups have often been seen as threats by the residents of the country when they first arrive. He mentions the German language threat, the Catholic threat, the Chinese and Japanese threats. At the same time, he says that Latinos have been a part of the United States since the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; and that they had a presence in the territory even before the English colonies were established.
He also sets out to examine immigration related issues, the concept of citizenship as well the definition of American and how the media portray them. He concludes that citizenship is about more than legal rights and definitions and includes an individual’s participation in society.
Chavez is professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to this book, he wrote, in 1998, Shadowed Lives: Undocumented Immigrants in American Society; and in 2001, Covering Immigration: Popular Images and the Politics of the Nation.
Click here to buy The Latino Threat
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 5, 2008
Buyology Truth and Lies About Why We Buy book cover
Photo of Lindstrom: MartinLindstrom.com
Martin Lindstrom, a branding specialist, spent three years and $7 million dollars researching people’s buying behavior. As part of his study, 2,000 volunteers in the United States and internationally discussed their reactions to ads, products, logos, and commercials. He shares his findings and addresses some commonly held beliefs in his new book, Buyology Truth and Lies About Why We Buy (Doubleday, $24.95).
The 240-page hardcover edition is divided into 11 chapters. Lindstrom believes that the better consumers understand their own buying behavior the more control they gain; and that this information is also helpful for vendors and manufacturers, allowing them to make products that truly appeal to buyers.
His study revealed that the health warnings on cigarette packages don’t discourage smoking; instead they cause some people to desire a smoke; some brands considered desirable, like iPods, increased mating instincts; people’s sense of touch, smell and sound can cause physical arousal when a shopper sees a product.
He and his team also believe that although subliminal advertising is banned it’s still prevalent. And, his findings indicate that some companies develop a ritual to boost interest in their product. At the same time, the adage that “sex sells” doesn’t seem to be true. For some shoppers ads with scantily dressed models and sexy body language can turn shoppers off.
Martin Lindstrom, author, Buyology
According to his website, Lindstrom is chief executive officer and chairman of the Linstrom company as well as chairman of Buyology Inc New York and Brand sense Agency London. He provides consulting services to executives at companies such as McDonald’s Corporation, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline. Every year, Lindstrom speaks to an audience of close to a million people.
Click here to buy Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 21, 2008
PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences
Photos: FT Press
In the wake of this year’s presidential elections the enormity of what transition officials are calling Obama 2.0 is becoming evident. During his 21-month campaign for the White House the Illinois legislator built an online grass roots support group of 10 million, including 3.1 million contributors. With his army of online supporters he raised $660 million and developed a following his team plan on continuing to leverage now that they are headed to Washington. The idea is to convert Obama’s online support base into a viral lobbying and communications machine, making him the first president to be “wired” in the digital sense of the word.
The success of these monumental efforts may be the final proof change resistant and anti Internet business people and communicators needed to come to terms with the advances in media and the way today’s society communicates in America and the world. Obama 2.0 illustrates the point about new media that Deidre Breakenridge, a public relations practitioner from New Jersey, makes in her recently published book: online and digital communications, including social media, have become powerful stand alone resources that must be considered as part of a comprehensive public relations plan.
In PR 2.0 New Media, New Tools, New Audiences(FT Press, $24.99), Breakenridge’s third book, she discusses new media and how its advent affects the practice of public relations. She promises readers that PR 2.0 will illustrate for them the idea of protecting and preserving brand reputation through social media strategies while taking advantage of their knowledge and the Internet to develop powerful campaigns.
Deidre Breakenridge, author, PR 2.0
The 284-page hardcover book is divided into 15 chapters and four sections: The Transition to PR 2.0, A New Direction in PR, Embracing PR 2.0 and The Future of 2.0. In the book, she outlines the importance of being familiar with new media much of which she says involves social networking including website interaction and blogging.
She goes on to say that being familiar with new media is not enough. She believes new media should be an integrated part of the public relations resources and tools available to practitioners everyday. And, that it’s up to each practitioner to know when and how to take advantage of them.
Breakenridge, president and director of communications, PFS Marketwyse, is an adjunct professor at Farleigh Dickinson University. A 20 year veteran in her field, she is also author of Cyberbranding and The New PR Toolkit.
Click here to buy PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences
Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 14, 2008
Little Book of Big Ideas Business book cover
Photo: Chicago Review Press
In Little Book of Big Ideas Business (Chicago Review Press,$14.95) John Lipczynski, a professor of industrial organization in London, showcases what he believes are the 10 most important trends in business; and 50 people responsible for their development.
The 128-page hardcover book is divided into seven chapters: Pioneers, Industrialists, Entrepreneurs, Financial Geneuses, Mavericks, Strategists and Theorists. He dedicates two pages to each individual, outlining the person’s date and place of birth and death as well as his or her importance.
He begins with Ray Kroc, a milkshake machine salesman who went on to become the developer of McDonald’s as a franchise business with restaurants in the United States and 100 other countries. Other familiar names include Warren Buffett, Peter Drucker, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Jack Welch.
There are people from Australia, Austria, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Korea, and United States on the list. He also included three women in the Entreprenuer section: Anita Roddick, the English founder of The Body Shop, credited with developing a multinational business that mixed principles and profit; French fashion icon Coco Channel who he describes as one of the world’s best known couturiers; and May Kay Ash, the American founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics who he says developed a unique business approach.
Lipczynski chairs postgraduate courses in the business department of London Metropolitan University. He is coauthor of Economics of Business Strategy, Economics of Industrial Organization and Industrial Organization.
Click here to buy Little Book of Big Ideas
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 7, 2008
Lady Q: The rise and fall of a Latin queen book cover
Photo: Independent Publishers Group/Chicago Review Press
Sonia was born to a poor and uneducated mother in Puerto Rico in 1967. That already promised her a life of economic hardship. Her mother also neglected her and allowed the men in her life to abuse Sonia physically and sexually starting at the age of five. When Sonia had the courage to tell her mother, she disbelieved her and heaped physical and verbal abuse on her. This childhood of neglect and suffering eventually led Sonia, a shy and love starved young girl, to seek solace in gang life in the city where she spent her growing years, Chicago.
In Lady Q: The rise and fall of a Latin queen (Chicago Review Press, $24.95), Reymundo Sanchez, a former gang member, and Sonia Rodriguez, a former Queen of Kings gang member, share the tale of Sonia’s life among the Almighty Latin King and Queens Nation, one of Chicago’s most prominent gangs in a 269-page hard cover book published earlier this year.
The book is divided into 16 chapters beginning with her early childhood years in Puerto Rico and her move to Chicago with her abusive step father Juan and her family; and ending with her life today and her efforts to find herself outside the gang that she once belonged to and that shaped her life in so many ways.
According to promotional materials, Lady Q is the first Latin Queen to go public with her story, sharing a woman’s perspective of gang life. The book was born after Sanchez invited Sonia to describe her life story and her experience in the gang known for its violent tendencies and criminal activities.
Reymundo Sanchez is the pseudonym of a former Latin Kings gang member. He is the author of My Bloody Life and Once a King, Always a King. Sonia Rodriguez is also a pseudonym.
Click here to buy
Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen
My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King
Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 17, 2008
Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit
Photo: Zable Fisher Public Relations
In the third edition of the e-book Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit A Step-By-Step Guide to Conducting Your Own Public Relations Campaign Margie Zable Fisher shares detailed insights for business owners, executives and anyone interested in getting the word out about his or her product or service to the public.
The 165-page PDF file, available for purchase online for $97, is divided into three sections: Preparing for Your Public Relations Efforts included the first three chapters; Getting Publicity included chapters 4 through 22; and Additional Public Relations Techniques in the remaining chapters.
In 2003, she wrote the first edition of the e-book while she was pregnant. Prior to writing the book, she had been offering do-it-yourself workshops in South Florida several times a year for business owners and executives who wanted to learn how to promote their business. The book, she thought, would expand her reach to the national level.
Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations Understanding and Targeting America’s Largest Minority book
“A must resource for practitioners/professionals expecting to reach US Hispanics; also valuable for college programs in marketing, public relations and communications. Highly recommended.”
Choice magazine
Click here for information on the Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations books
In the first chapter of the e-book, Zable Fisher begins by defining advertising, public relations and publicity and explaining how each one is distinct from the others. In the following chapter, she explains how readers can identify their Unique Selling Proposition by answering three questions.
She dedicates a lengthy chapter to the development of a public relations plan; discusses how to get publicity; over the next few chapters shares case studies in detail; provides information about the usefulness of editorial calendars; outlines the contents and steps to create a press kit; shares her thoughts on pitching the media; provides interview tips for different types of media as well as guidelines of what to expect and how to interact with media representatives.
In chapters 23 and 24, she talks about the value of free public speaking, seminars and workshops as public relations tools. In the following chapters, she discusses special events; writing a column; being an expert on radio programs; volunteering in the community as well as business groups and non profit organizations; the value of e-newsletters and how to start one. She also discusses letters to the editor and op-eds; public relations online and related issues; useful options few take advantage of; and in the final chapter she addresses crisis issues illustrated with case studies and comments from two practitioners.
Margie Zable Fisher, author, Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit
Zable Fisher is the president of Zable Fisher Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Boca Raton, Florida. She is also the public relations columnist for WomenEntrepreneur.com.
Hundreds of professionals, small and medium-sized business owners and managers have attended her workshops, purchased Do-It-Yourself P.R. materials, and worked with her one-on-one. With her assistance her clients have secured publicity placements, in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times,The Associated Press (AP), the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC, Fortune Small Business, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, Inc. Magazine, and Money Magazine among others.
Zabler Fisher graduate from the Boston College School of Management and received a Masters in Business Administration degree from Florida Atlantic University. She is also a certified coach and a certified toastmaster.
“Best in Class Hispanic Strategies” audio recording
Presenters Carlos Santiago and Derene Allen
-
Find out what makes 25 percent of the top 500 Hispanic market advertisers out perform the remaining companies
-
Discover what questions to ask, steps to take to be a Best in Class company
Click here for more about “Best in Class Hispanic Strategies” audio recording
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 10, 2008
A mamá le va de maravilla… y al hogar también book cover
Photos: Grupo Nelson
Hada María Morales works as a communicator for the State of Florida, providing employment information to Spanish speakers seeking work across the state. In her free time, she volunteers for an organization of women who promote human rights. She also raises a family in Coral Gables, Florida with the help of her husband Roger. In spite of her busy schedule she has found the time to publish seven inspiration and self help books in Spanish. Her latest title, A mamá le va de maravilla… y al hogar también (Grupo Nelson, $12.99) was just published. The English translation of the title is Healthy Mom, Healthy Home.
In the 171-page hardcover book Morales invites women to appreciate themselves, seek a healthy lifestyle and enjoy their home life. She shares her belief that if the mother is satisfied her husband and children will likely be satisfied as well. The busy working mother dedicates 35 chapters to outlining a process readers may follow toward those goals.
“Latino Family Dynamics” audio recording
Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa
Discuss
- Latino purchasing habits and products they favor
- Latino family characteristics
- Latinos and extended families
- Division of duties, responsibilities within the family
- Who is the decision maker in the Latino family
- Who is the information provider in the Latino family
Click here to find out about Latino purchasing habits and “Latino Family Dynamics”
Hada María Morales, author, A mamá le va de maravilla… y al hogar también
According to Morales, many women spend their time looking after their families, working in the unexpected roles of financial analyst, driver, maid, cook, lover, doctor, gardener and even become the emotional thermometer of the home. They take good care of everything except themselves and eventually find they are exhausted by the day to day grind. She suggests that women indulge themselves a little so that they may be satisfied and thrive along with their loved ones.
A native of Nicaragua, Morales graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in human resources. She works as an information coordinator for the Department of Labor of the State of Florida.
Grupo Nelson is the Spanish division of Thomas Nelson Publishers (founded in 1798), a publisher and distributor of books about business, culture, inspiration, Christian life, fiction and family value themes including distribution in Latin America and Spain. Thomas Nelson Publishers and Grupo Nelson are owned by Thomas Nelson, a provider of bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.
Click here to buy A mama le va de maravilla… y al hogar tambien
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 3, 2008
How to Get a Job in the USA and Ameri$peak book covers
Believing that there is a strong relationship between the right vocabulary and success in America, Nara Venditti, Ph.D., an immigrant herself, published Ameri$peak (Suceed in America, $14.99) a mini dictionary. Ameri$peak is a 95-page softcover book filled with common words and phrases for foreign born workers wishing to interact with Americans in a business setting.
In writing the mini-dictionary, published by her company in 2006, Venditti relied on her experience as an educational programs developer for international executives, translator, interpreter, and international relocation consultant. In the book, she focuses on units of general meaning that are commonly used in business, and words that are important in all areas of business. Readers are invited to visit the book’s companion website for updates.
Venditti also published a step by step guide for foreign nationals wishing to find a job in the United States, her second book that year. In How to Get a Job in the USA, a 112-page soft cover book, she shares insights on American job search and interviewing techniques.
She promises the reader insights on competing in the American job market, networking and making contact, finding out about job openings, preparing for an interview, following up on an interview, negotiating a job offer and getting the job desired.
Venditti is president and founder of Suceed in America, a consulting company that assists clients with workplace, career counseling and cultural understanding issues. She is an adjunct lecturer at Western Connecticut State University and the author of 61 published works.
Click here to buy How to Get a Job in the USA
Click here to buy Ameri$peak
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 26, 2008
The Faith of Barack Obama and La Fe de Barack Obama book covers
Photos: Grupo Nelson
Some believe the faith of presidential candidate Barack Obama is the fuel of all he has achieved and the source of the greatest challenges in his pursuit of the presidency. Considered by many the “rock star” politician, “the face of the Democratic Party’s future,” or the “skinny kid with the funny name” he has ascended to the summit of American politics at a relatively young age.
Tennessee resident and author Stephen Mansfield dedicated his time and energy to researching the democrat’s beliefs. Promising “a fair minded and objective examination of the candidate’s faith” he released the title in English and Spanish this year, The Faith of Barack Obama (Thomas Nelson Publishers, $19.99) and La Fe de Barack Obama (Grupo Nelson, $17.99). In the acknowledgments he thanks the Obama campaign staff for fielding questions and interview requests.
In the book, Mansfield examines the role of religion in the life of Obama believing that understanding the presidential candidate’s faith will go a long way toward understanding the Illinois senator’s impressive leap into the national spotlight that may eventually lead to the White House.
The hardcover books share the same cover design and almost the same number of pages, 164 pages in the English language edition and 169 pages in the Spanish language version. There are also 10 pages of black and white photographs of Obama and his family in the middle.
The book was translated into Spanish by Grupo Nivel Uno. The English language book is divided into an introduction and six chapters: To Walk Between Worlds; My House, Too; Faith Fit for the Age; The Altars of State; Four Faces of Faith; and A Time to Heal.
Author Stephen Mansfield
Mansfield is The New York Times bestselling author of The Faith of George W. Bush, The Faith of the American Soldier, Then Darkness Fled: The Liberating Wisdom of Booker T. Washington, and Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill. He founded The Mansfield Group, a research and communications firm, and Chartwell Literary Group, which creates and manages literary projects. Another of his titles, The Faith of George Bush was also translated into Spanish, La Fe de George Bush.
Click here to buy The Faith of Barack Obama
and
Click here to buy La Fe de Barack Obama
“Happy for No Reason” audio recording
Presenter Marci Shimoff, author, Happy for No Reason
What: An audio presentation by Marci Shimoff and Q&A with Marci Shimoff and HispanicMPR.com audio program host Elena del Valle about finding happiness.
Available exclusively on HispanicMPR.com!
More information on “Happy for No Reason” audio recording with Marci Shimoff
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 19, 2008
Creando Empresas Fabulosas book cover
Entrepreneur Alicia Castillo Holley, a resident of Australia, wants to spread the word about creating wealth among Spanish speakers including those who live in the United States via her self published title Creando Empresas Fabulosas como crear, reinventar, y financiar empresas de alto impacto (Spanish for creating fabulous businesses how to create, reinvent and finance high impact businesses).
The insights in the book are based on the author’s 10 years of experience as well as hundreds of case studies in several countries, mostly in Latin America. She focuses her recommendations on two of Jeffrey Timmons’ three theories about the evaluation of businesses. It is her belief that establishing new businesses requires tremendous effort and that the effort is only worthwhile if the result is a fabulous business.
Alicia Castillo Holley, president of Ventures Latinas LLC,
The 148-page paperback book, Castillo Holley’s fifth title, is divided into three parts: Creando Empresas Fabulosas, from page 11 to 53; Reinventando Empresas from page 55 to 84; and Financiamiento Fabuloso. Published earlier this year the book sells for $29.
Castillo Holley, president of Ventures Latinas LLC, has consulted, mentored or coached almost 500 young businesses or individuals who want to launch their ideas, and has trained 4,000 people in wealth creation, venture capital, entrepreneurship, innovation, and managing change.
Click here to visit Alicia Castillo Holley’s website
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
