Stephen P. Robbins received his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He previously worked for the Shell Oil Company and Reynolds Metals Company. Since completing his graduate studies, Dr. Robbins has taught at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Concordia University in Montreal, the University of Baltimore, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and San Diego State University. Dr. Robbins' research interests have focused on conflict, power, and politics in organizations, as well as the development of effective interpersonal skills. His articles on these and other topics have appeared in such journals as Business Horizons, the California Management Review, Business and Economic Perspectives, International Management, Management Review, Canadian Personnel and Industrial Relations, and the Journal of Management Education.
In recent years, Dr. Bobbins has been spending most of his professional time writing textbooks. In addition to Management, Seventh Edition, these include Organizational Behavior, Ninth Edition (Prentice Hall, 2001); Fundamentals of Management, Third Edition, with David DeCenzo (Prentice Hall, 2001); Supervision Today!, Third Edition, with David DeCenzo (Prentice Hall, 2001); Business Today (Harcourt, 2001); Human Resource Management, Sixth Edition, with David DeCenzo (Wiley, 1999); Managing Today!, Second Edition (Prentice Hall, 2000); Essentials of Organizational Behavior, Sixth Edition (Prentice Hall, 2000); Training in Interpersonal Skills, Second Edition, with Philip Hunsaker (Prentice Hall, 1996); and Organization Theory, Third Edition (Prentice Hall, 1990). These books are used at more than a thousand U.S. colleges and universities, as well as hundreds of schools throughout Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Scandinavia, and Europe.
In Dr. Bobbins' other life, he participates in masters' track competition. Since turning 50 in 1993, he has set numerous indoor and outdoor world sprint records. He's also won gold medals in World Veteran Games in 100m, 200m, and 400m. In 1995, Bobbins was named the year's outstanding age-40-and-over male track and field athlete by the Masters Track and Field Committee of USA Track & Field, the national governing body for athletes in the United States.
Mary Coulter received her Ph.D. in Management from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Before completing her graduate work, she held different jobs including high school teacher, legal assistant, and government program planner. She has taught at Drury University, the University of Arkansas, Trinity University, and since 1983, at Southwest Missouri State University. Dr. Coulter's research interests have focused on competitive strategies for not-for-profit arts organizations and the use of new media in the educational process. Her research on these and other topics has appeared in such journals as Journal of Business Strategies, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing, International Journal of Business Disciplines, and Case Research Journal. In addition to Management, Dr. Coulter has published two other books with Prentice Hall, Strategic Management in Action, Second Edition, and Entrepreneurship in Action. When she's not busy teaching or writing, she enjoys puttering around in her flower gardens, playing the piano, reading all different types of books, and enjoying many different activities with husband Ron and daughters Sarah and Katie.
