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RAND Best Sellers for September 2009
The books listed below are RAND's top-ten, best sellers for September 2009. You can find these and other RAND publications in bookstores; they can also be ordered through RAND. Also see RAND Book Reviews.
1.
Thinking About America's Defense: An Analytical Memoir
Over his 33 years in the Air Force and more than 20 years at RAND, Lt Gen Glenn A. Kent was a uniquely acute analyst and developer of American defense policy. In this volume, he offers not so much a memoir in the normal sense as a summary of the dozens of national security issues in which he was personally engaged during his long career. In the process, he describes the related analytical frameworks and illustrates the bureaucratic intricacies.
2.
How Much Is Enough? Shaping the Defense Program, 1961-1969
An account of the application of powerful ideas to the problem of managing the Department of Defense and a history of the controversies inspired by that effort, this book details the use of a new system for allocating defense resources. The system — the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System (PPBS) — was used to evaluate military needs and to choose among alternatives for meeting those needs.
3.
Green Warriors: Army Environmental Considerations for Contingency Operations from Planning Through Post-Conflict
This study assesses whether Army policy, doctrine, and guidance adequately address environmental activities in post-conflict phases of contingencies. A review of policy, doctrine, operational experience, and documentation, as well as interviews with Army personnel, indicates that environmental concerns can have significant impacts. Recommendations are made for improving the Army's approach to environmental issues in contingency operations.
4.
Strategy in the Missile Age
Classic work from 1959 that discusses the origins of air power, its cornerstone position in the evolution of Cold War era nuclear strategy, and its treatment of preventive and preemptive attacks, deterrence, and the economics of strategy.
5.
A Question of Balance: Political Context and Military Aspects of the China-Taiwan Dispute
The relationship between China and Taiwan is more stable in 2009 than it has been years; at the same time, the cross-strait military balance is shifting in ways that are problematic for Taiwan's defense. This volume examines the changing China-Taiwan political dynamic, evaluates key aspects of the cross-strait military balance, and considers how Taiwan might be successfully defended against a Chinese invasion attempt.
6.
Managing Diversity in Corporate America: An Exploratory Analysis
Develops a fact-based approach to modeling diversity management in U.S. corporations, analyzes the strategies pursued by 14 large U.S. companies recognized for their diversity or human resource achievements, and compares a number of company characteristics. Firms recognized for diversity are distinguished by a core set of motives and practices, but best practices per se may not enable a company to achieve a high level of diversity.
7.
China's International Behavior: Activism, Opportunism, and Diversification
The expanding scope of China's international activities is one of the newest and most important trends in global affairs. Its global activism is continually changing and has so many dimensions that it immediately raises questions about its current and long-term intentions. This monograph analyzes how China defines its international objectives, how it is pursuing them, and what it means for U.S. economic and security interests.
8.
Integrating Civilian Agencies in Stability Operations
How can the Army help make key civilian agencies more capable partners in stability, security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR) operations? The authors identify the civilian agencies that should be involved in such operations, then locate the necessary skill sets. They then assess the capacity of the civilian agencies to participate in SSTR operations and analyze the recurring structural problems that have plagued their attempts to do so.
9.
The Collegiate Learning Assessment: Setting Standards for Performance at a College or University
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is a measure of how much students' critical thinking improves after attending college or university. This report illustrates how institutions can set their own standards on the CLA using a method that is appropriate for the CLA's unique characteristics.
10.
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