In the vein of Kate AtkinsonÕs Jackson Brodie novels comes this yearÕs smart new thriller with literary chops When wealthy octogenarian Geza Marton hires art expert Helena Marsh to buy back his familyÕs Titian painting, Helena flies to Budapest to close what she expects will be a reasonably simple sale. But nothing is ever simple in this beautiful, flawed city where corruption abounds. Helena discovers that there are multiple bidders for the painting, including some dangerous Slavs. Soon there are also dead bodies, and a complicated history that leads her to men Marton knew in Vorkuta, one of StalinÕs notorious gulags. As she works to unravel the truth of the paintingÕs ownership and dodges her tail, the dogged ex-detective Attila Feher, Helena is forced to call on all her considerable skills to stay alive and out of jail. Smart, fast-paced, and wildly entertaining, The Appraisal is a terrific thriller set against BudapestÕs corruption and lost promise.

The 12th edition of this textbook has been revised and reorganized significantly for greater clarity, coherence and consistency. Coverage includes emerging issues such as the impact of automated valuation models on the appraisal industry; the new emphasis on extraordinary assumptions and hypothetical conditions in recent revisions of standards of professional practice; and important data sources. For both novice appraisers and established practitioners. c. Book News Inc.

Most managers hate conducting performance appraisal discussions. What's worse, few feel confident in their ability to accurately assess the performance of a subordinate. In The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book, expert Dick Grote answers over 100 of the most common -- and most difficult -- questions about this vitally important but often misunderstood and misused tool, including:* How should I react when an employee starts crying during the appraisal discussion . . . or gets mad at me?* Which is more important -- the results the person achieved or the way she went about doing the.

Emyl Jenkins takes you through your home and teaches you how to identify, assess, record, and preserve your personal treasures. She also gives step-by-step advice on how to evaluate, insure, and sell your property; make photographic inventories; file claims for damage; and settle an estate.

Based on a previous book by the same authors, Understanding Performance Appraisal delineates a social-psychological model of the appraisal process that emphasizes the goals pursued by raters, ratees, and the various users of performance appraisal. The authors apply this goal-oriented perspective to developing, implementing, and evaluating performance appraisal systems. This perspective also emphasizes the context in which appraisal occurs and demonstrates that the shortcomings of performance appraisal are in fact sensible adaptations to its various requirements, pressures, and demands. Relevant research is summarized and recommendations are offered for future research and applications. Graduate-level students, organizational development consultants and trainers, human resource managers, faculty and scholars, and psychologists in human resource management as well as other professionals who conduct research on performance appraisal programs will find this book not only interesting but also a valuable resource.