Rosan's request for some good basic texts in the subject areas I will
include makes sense. I will include them.
It is worth noting, however, that some of the best writers -- from classics
like Smith to contemporaries such as Boorstin and Drucker -- write plain,
clear prose. They see themselves as members of what once might have been
called "the republic of letters," and they see their work as an address to
other citizens of the republic. This means they write to speak to their
fellow citizens: intelligent, educated human beings who understand what is
explained well and clearly without recourse to jargon or unnecessary use of
specialized vocabulary.
I'll second Dick Buchanan's recommendation of the book, The Craft of
Research. That's a good place to begin for those who want to see how
research can be made useful to wider audiences than those camps of
specialists who see language barriers as an opportunity to draw attention
to presumed expertise.
So, textbooks, yes. But to the greatest degree possible, I will recommend
books that are both intelligent AND well written. These are the kinds of
books written by authors with enough expertise and enough confidence in
their professionalism to make complex ideas as plain as possible (but no
plainer).
Ken Friedman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Knowledge Management
Norwegian School of Management
+47 22.98.51.07 Direct line
+47 22.98.51.11 Telefax
Home office:
+46 (46) 53.245 Telephone
+46 (46) 53.345 Telefax
email: [log in to unmask]
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