[PDF] Cultivating Grass Roots eBook

Author : James Cécora
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 147 pages
File Size : 31,94 MB
Release : 2018-12-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 0429872798

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First published in 1999. The key to successful regional development is more a personality issue than a global one, contends social economist Dr. James Cécora. With a fresh new interdisciplinary approach, Cécora tackles traditional economic theory to show that a distinct type of individual, the 'innovative entrepreneur', can do more to secure economic stability in a particular region than any multinational corporation. Arguing that global economics have spiraled out of control, Cécora builds a case for supporting and promoting the development of entrepreneurs at the local and regional level. These individuals will, he says, work at strengthening the regional economy over the long term because of their permanent attachment to a region, as well as in vested self-interest. Cécora compares the personalities of corporate managers to self-starting entrepreneurs, drawing the conclusion that the risk-taking ability of entrepreneurial types prompts more creative thinking and regionally appropriate action and solutions. This willingness to try new approaches is often a key to success.

Author : Jeff W Bennett
Publisher :
Page : 318 pages
File Size : 18,30 MB
Release : 2019-08-20
Category :
ISBN : 9780578550060

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Accelerating profitable growth has been one of the long-standing challenges of business executives. Even today, with stock markets booming and M&A activity returning to record levels, organic growth is anemic for many companies. In our experience, the root cause is a lack of strategy in the organization's thinking, planning, and marketing. Many successful business leaders have built their careers on execution and efficiency but have relatively little experience making the strategic decisions that drive the top line. Lean, Six Sigma, and other efficiency-focused methodologies are fantastic at answering questions around how to do things better, but they are not suited to answer strategic questions around what they should do and why. Through our experience, we realized that there are a set of core principles and frameworks that can improve, sometimes dramatically, the selection and targeting of growth opportunities and importantly, turn good ideas into good businesses quickly and with more confidence. Over time we realized that there was nothing magical in the concepts we were using in our work. We do not claim to be mystical seers interpreting some strategy oracle that only we can understand. And that became our mission: to teach capable people at all levels of an organization how to apply strategic concepts themselves. There are significant advantages to embedding strategic thinking capabilities throughout the organization. 1. Some of the best organic growth ideas bubble up from lower levels of the organization. 2. Embedding strategic thinking skills creates a more discerning audience for top-down initiatives. 3. Leveraging this process over time will groom the next generation of general managers for success 4. Building organizational strategic capabilities can be a real differentiator in the B2B world. To accomplish this we developed Grassroots Strategy, a seminar-based approach that teaches good strategic thinking by having the participants apply what they're learning to actual challenges confronting their business. This book walks through the approach and concepts that we teach and apply during those seminars. The title of this book speaks to our perspective on strategy. The best strategies are not dictated from an "ivory tower." Rather, they are firmly rooted in the reality of the market and leverage the cross-functional experience and intelligence of the entire organization. And once they take root, these strategic principles not only lead to better targeted growth initiatives, they provide the healthy foundation that is needed for a growth culture to thrive. Throughout this book we take readers from strategy apprentice to journeyman strategic thinker. We will show you how to apply proven strategy concepts and tools within a framework that enables their use. With diligence and discipline, this process will separate the best growth ideas from the also-rans. And it will enable you to redirect resources and accelerate the best ideas to deliver results more quickly. How do we know this works? Well, our clients give us credit for hundreds of millions of dollars of incremental operating profit, and that's good enough for us. The number of companies that would benefit from our approach is far larger than those we can reach with our consulting practice. Although there is no substitute for the full, week-long Grassroots Strategy seminar experience, we created this book as a "do-it-yourself" guide for those who want to encourage strategic thinking within their organization from the ground up. Whatever your situation, this book is a convenient way to share these concepts with all teams and individuals seeking strategic growth. We hope you enjoy the journey.

Author : Andy Clark
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 45,19 MB
Release : 2008-07
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 1437903797

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Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.

Author : Nancy Lawson
Publisher : Chronicle Books
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 50,7 MB
Release : 2017-04-18
Category :
ISBN : 1616896175

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In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Author : H. C. Flores
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 17,41 MB
Release : 2006
Category : Gardening
ISBN : 193339207X

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Combines practical wisdom on ecological design and community-building with a fresh, green perspective on an age-old subject. Activist and urban gardener Heather Flores shares her nine-step permaculture design to help farmsteaders and city dwellers alike build fertile soil, promote biodiversity, and increase natural habitat in their own "paradise gardens." This joyful lifestyle manual inspires readers to apply the principles of the paradise garden--simplicity, resourcefulness, creativity, mindfulness, and community--to all aspects of life. Plant "guerrilla gardens" in barren intersections and medians; organize community meals; start a street theater troupe or host a local art swap; free your kitchen from refrigeration and enjoy truly fresh, nourishing foods from your own plot of land; work with children to create garden play spaces. Flores cares passionately about the damaged state of our environment and our throwaway society. Here, she shows us how to reclaim the earth, one garden at a time.--From publisher description.

Author : Robert Kourik
Publisher :
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 37,31 MB
Release : 2015-08-24
Category :
ISBN : 9780961584863

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Understanding Roots uncovers one of the greatest mysteries underground—the secret lives and magical workings of the roots that move and grow invisibly beneath our feet. Roots, it seems, do more than just keep a plant from falling over: they gather water and nutrients, exude wondrous elixirs to create good soil, make friends with microbes and fungi, communicate with other roots, and adapt themselves to all manner of soils, winds, and climates, nourishing and sustaining our gardens, lawns, and woodlands. Understanding Roots contains over 115 enchanting and revealing root drawings that most people have never seen, from prairies, grasslands, and deserts, as well as drawings based on excavations of vegetable, fruit, nut, and ornamental tree roots. Every root system presented in this book was drawn by people literally working in the trenches, sketching the roots where they grew. The text provides a verydetailed review of all aspects of transplanting; describes how roots work their magic to improve soil nutrients; investigates the hidden life of soil microbes and their mysterious relationship to roots; explores the question of whether deep roots really gather more unique nutrients than shallow roots; shares the latest research about the mysteries of mycorrhizal (good fungal) association; shows you exactly where to put your fertilizer, compost, water, and mulch to help plants flourish; tells you why gray water increases crop yields more than fresh water; and, most importantly, reveals the science behind all the above (with citations for each scientific paper). This book contains at least eighty percent more new information, more results of the latest in-depth and up-to-date explorations, and even more helpful guidelines on roots than the author’s previous book (Roots Demystified: Change Your Garden Habits to Help Roots Thrive). This is not a revised edition—it’s a whole new stand-alone book.

Author : Emily Dufton
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 333 pages
File Size : 23,84 MB
Release : 2017-12-05
Category : History
ISBN : 0465096174

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How earnest hippies, frightened parents, suffering patients, and other ordinary Americans went to war over marijuana In the last five years, eight states have legalized recreational marijuana. To many, continued progress seems certain. But pot was on a similar trajectory forty years ago, only to encounter a fierce backlash. In Grass Roots, historian Emily Dufton tells the remarkable story of marijuana's crooked path from acceptance to demonization and back again, and of the thousands of grassroots activists who made changing marijuana laws their life's work. During the 1970s, pro-pot campaigners with roots in the counterculture secured the drug's decriminalization in a dozen states. Soon, though, concerned parents began to mobilize; finding a champion in Nancy Reagan, they transformed pot into a national scourge and helped to pave the way for an aggressive war on drugs. Chastened marijuana advocates retooled their message, promoting pot as a medical necessity and eventually declaring legalization a matter of racial justice. For the moment, these activists are succeeding -- but marijuana's history suggests how swiftly another counterrevolution could unfold.