Most Popular Books by David Epstein

¿The Essay Book - Recollections and Reflections - captures in their own words wisdom gained during a lifetime from lessons learned as experienced by 135 members of the Harvard College Class of 1957 during their 80 years. Some lessons are humorous, some tragic, many uplifting and all draw the reader into the author¿s adventure.Born in the Great Depression, and children during World War II, the 1250 member all-male class of 1957 entered the College during the Cold War as Senator Joseph McCarthy held the nation in thrall while the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations searched for Communists among the faculties of Harvard and MIT. Segregation was still legal in many Southern states, and the Civil Rights Movement, just beginning, would affect them profoundly. They graduated four months before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik to herald the opening of the Space Age. Following graduation, many served in the military or other national services before pursuing careers in nearly every aspect of professional and commercial life. For them the early 1960¿s were hopeful years, opening with the election of President John F. Kennedy. An articulate, youthful WW II hero, his message of strength and of a vision for a better future launched national scientific and engineering programs to oppose the threat of Soviet domination of inner and outer space, and encouraged civilian volunteers to reach out to the rest of the world in the Peace Corps. At home Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.¿s compelling biblical appeal to the nation¿s conscience for racial equality, and his dignity in facing violent resistance, voiced their own hopes and dreams. Soon their character and commitment would be tested by the assassinations of JFK, MLK Jr and RFK, the chaos of the Vietnam War years, presidential resignations, the social revolutions and the AIDS pandemic that followed.Tracing the arc of history during their times, their stories and poems read like mini-novels as these diverse classmates describe their participation in the immense changes in science, technology, medicine, law, government, economics, education, politics and the international order over the 60 years since their graduation."

The only tax preparation manual developed in cooperation with the IRS, Clergy Tax turns filing into an easy, 12-step process. Following David Epstein's manual will help any pastor work through the complex and confusing tax laws and forms. After over 20 years of working with ministers, David Epstein has found that most pastors are overpaying their taxes -- Clergy Tax can help ministers reduce their taxes in safe, legal ways. CPAs and other tax preparers will also find Clergy Tax an essential manual for the specialized nature of a pastor's tax return.

-- A tax preparation manual written specifically for clergy -- Created in cooperation with the IRS -- Easy to use, with step-by-step instructions -- Helps ministers reduce their taxes -- Written by a tax attorney who specializes in clergy tax laws -- Covers important new tax legislation concerning clergyThe only tax preparation manual developed in cooperation with the IRS, Clergy Tax turns filing into an easy, 12-step process. Following David Epstein's manual will help any pastor work through the complex and confusing tax laws and forms. After over 20 years of working with ministers, David Epstein has found that most ministers are overpaying their taxes -- Clergy Tax can help ministers reduce their taxes in safe, legal ways.

This research addresses the impact of boards of directors, top management teams (TMTs), and interactions between boards and TMTs on changes in strategic orientation. We also address the question of which changes in the board and top management team affect strategic change more. The framework used for strategic orientation is the Miles and Snow theory of business approaches to product markets. This study contributes to our understanding of strategic change and the Miles and Snow typology by addressing strategic change over time. 320 firms over a ten year period from 1997-2006 are included in the sample. These firms are drawn from 22 industries. I expand on previous research incorporating functional orientations of top managers by adding the time element. This research also advances upper echelons theory by synthesizing this stream of research with research on the Miles and Snow typology. More specifically, the current paper incorporates inside and outside directors and extraindustry and intraindustry importation in the study of strategic orientation. Further interaction effects between the board of directors and the top management team are studied by examining the interaction of inside directors with intraindustry importation and the interaction of outside directors with extraindustry importation. In the current study, evidence was found for a relationship between Prospector and Analyzer orientations with top managers from marketing and R&D backgrounds. The study also showed a relationship between Defenders and top managers from finance, manufacturing, and engineering backgrounds. Evidence was also found that larger percentages of outside directors move the firm towards more conservative strategic orientations. Contrary to the study hypotheses however, inside directors were not demonstrated to have any impact on strategic orientation. Additionally, neither intraindustry nor extraindustry importation was related to strategic orientation in the study. The generalizability of impacts on strategic change was enhanced through a sample of firms in 22 industries over a ten year period. This longitudinal approach enhances the causal claims in the findings by studying the proximal and distal impacts of TMTs and boards of directors over time on strategic change. Findings were further enhanced through addressing endogeneity issues. Specifically, this study addressed the possibility that management hiring's from outside the firms which are used as independent variables may themselves be the result of age and education. Multiple measures of strategic orientation were developed in the current study as well. A continuous measure of strategic orientation based on patterns of patent filings was developed as well as discrete measures of strategic orientation which were created using cluster analysis.

This five hour audio lecture on compact disc on contracts includes offer, revocation, acceptance, consideration, defenses to formation, third-party beneficiaries, assignment, and delegation. It also discusses conditions, excuses, anticipatory repudiaton, discharge of duty, modifications, rescission, accord and satisfaction, novation, breach, damages, remedies, UCC remedies, and the parol evidence rule. This lecture also includes a 10 page handout.

This report summarizes the 16 evaluations being conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center on behalf of FHWA’s Research and Technology (R&T) Program. The FHWA R&T Program furthers the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center’s goal of ensuring transparency, accessibility, and responsiveness of R&T for all stakeholders. Six evaluation teams have finished data collection and written reports. One team has delivered a final phase I report and is preparing its phase II report. One team has delivered a draft final report. Of the 10 evaluations currently in progress, 7 teams have submitted final evaluation plans, 2 teams have submitted draft evaluation plans, and 1 team has submitted a preliminary evaluation plan.

Examining onsets of political instability in countries worldwide from 1955 to 2003, we develop a model that distinguishes countries that experienced instability from those that remained stable with a two-year lead time and over 80% accuracy. Intriguingly, the model uses few variables and a simple specification. The model is accurate in forecasting the onsets of both violent civil wars and nonviolent democratic reversals, suggesting common factors in both types of change. Whereas regime type is typically measured using linear or binary indicators of democracy/ autocracy derived from the 21-point Polity scale, the model uses a nonlinear five-category measure of regime type based on the Polity components. This new measure of regime type emerges as the most powerful predictor of instability onsets, leading us to conclude that political institutions,properly specified, and not economic conditions, demography, or geography, are the most important predictors of the onset of political instability.

Clergy Tax 2005 is a complete revision of former Clergy Tax manuals. The content and appearance have been simplified to create an easier-to-use version that lets pastors save money while avoiding the risk of an audit. Clergy Tax 2005 includes "The 12 Boxes You Need to Fill Out Your Tax Returns" as well as a special section dedicated to helping pastors who deal with unique situations such as pension benefits, royalties and stock market investments.

A comparison of various criminal procedures in the United States.