Liberal education aspires to excellence through the cultivation of free human beings who excel in thought, word, and deed. But what exactly is excellence, and why do we admire it? How do we conceive of what is excellent? What constitutes excellence—either for human beings, or in the realms of philosophy, literature, science, and politics? Why is excellence an aim of liberal education? What kinds of texts, courses, and inquiries contribute to achieving this end? Such questions animate the studies herein. The essays in this volume reflect on the idea of excellence embedded within core texts, as well as how such texts influence and ennoble higher education. In its chapters, we consider rival forms of excellence from ancient Greece and Rome, through modern Europe and America, and beyond. The world of antiquity and its accounts of excellence, as represented in the works of Euripides, Aristotle, Plato, Archimedes, and Cicero, are here brought into dialogue with diverse modern perspectives on excellence, as articulated by Shakespeare, Descartes, Newton, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Austen, Darwin, Lincoln, Tennyson, and Nietzsche, as well as (more recently) by John Dewey, Martin Luther King Jr., Cardinal Newman, and Eboo Patel. Our desire to seek and understand excellence transcends borders, and the purpose of this volume is to help perpetuate in contemporary higher education the study of core texts essential to the cultivation of excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.

Bob was an incredible coach and mentor. The lessons he taught me have guided my life, both personally and professionally. There is no better way to describe Bob than "coach", and like the great basketball coaches from his favorite sport, Bob instilled a daily commitment to excellence. If you were fortunate enough to work for Bob, you worked hard, you practiced and refined your craft, competed to win, and took better care of your clients than anyone else. Those lessons learned early on, not only served me well in each step of my career, but i hope made me a better husband, father, son and friend. In the Quest for Excellence Bob shares this game plan for success in business and life. There are countless people Bob mentored over the years that have gone on to become incredibly successful. Erik Hellum Chief Operating Officer Townsquare Media

Primarily concerned with the organisational needs and objectives of a modern manufacturing firm, this book provides essential tools and techniques for achieving product excellence. It also gives exposure to young management professionals/executives on the changing business landscape as a result of globalisation, and the intricacies involved in formulating a suitable strategic outfit which would ensure the healthy growth of firms.

Kireet Joshi, b. 1931, Indian philosopher and educationist; contributed articles.

Dusting Off Thunderbolts is not just another book about how to be a good leader. Having worked in 50 countries on a quest to find what he calls the heart of leadership, Sir John Jones shares wisdom gleaned from diverse cultures and continents. You will hear from giants of sport, literature, art, film and music, and be guided by poets, philosophers, war heroes and Nobel prize-winners. Sir John will introduce you to external forces that spark the inner spirit of leadership. The ancients called such forces "muses" and, like old friends, they have sustained Sir John through more than 40 years of leadership. Muses favour those courageous enough to work tirelessly at their craft and travel each day the tough road of hard practice, dedication and quiet heroism. Sadly, some leaders deny their existence, believing that they themselves are the sole source of their success. For these leaders, the gods will dust off their thunderbolts. Teeming with practical ideas, stories and suggestions, Dusting Off Thunderbolts will make you laugh, make you cry, make you think and help you grow. It is an affirmation of those who lead with deep humanity. It is a clarion call to those who see themselves as a constant work in progress. It champions those who take risks but give themselves permission to fail. It is a companion for those who have the courage to stand at the front while embracing their own vulnerability. It is a celebration of the leadership spirit within all of us. For all our failings, flaws and fears, neither the gods nor their muses can do their work without us.

Our civilization is at crossroads. It is brightened by unprecedented technological advances and blighted by murderous strife and unsustainable development. The book argues that the way forward is through management excellence of the key institutions of society: enterprises, not-for-profits, communities, other civil society institutions, organs of the state and so forth. The book explains, with the help of numerous live examples and research findings, what management excellence means for each of these institutional forms, and how it can be harnessed to lift the quality of civilization – towards widespread humaneness, creativity and performance excellence.

Business process reengineering is arguably the management paradigm of the decade. No other paradigm for organizational innovation and improvement has achieved a stronger presence and impact in corporate boardrooms around the world. In recent years reengineering has also moved away from the hype into real-world application, and there is now a vast pool of techniques and experience ready to be tapped by organizational-change advocates.This book provides an international showcase of reengineering in action, with contributions from more than forty experts spanning five continents. Besides prescriptions of concepts and tools, it presents case studies of public sector as well as private sector reengineering experience, and visions of the future of reengineering practice.