Business, Finance & Law Books

Book SynopsisThis is a multidisciplinary textbook on social commerce by leading authors of e-commerce and e-marketing textbooks, with contributions by several industry experts. It is effectively the first true textbook on this topic and can be used in one of the following ways: Textbook for a standalone elective course at the undergraduate or graduate levels (including MBA and executive MBA programs) Supplementary text in marketing, management or Information Systems disciplines Training courses in industry Support resources for researchers and practitioners in the fields of marketing, management and information management The book examines the latest trends in e-commerce, including social businesses, social networking, social collaboration, innovations and mobility. Individual chapters cover tools and platforms for social commerce; supporting theories and concepts; marketing communications; customer engagement and metrics; social shopping; social customer service and CRM contents; the social enterprise; innovative applications; strategy and performance management; and implementing social commerce systems. Each chapter also includes a real-world example as an opening case; application cases and examples; exhibits; a chapter summary; review questions and end-of-chapter exercises. The book also includes a glossary and key terms, as well as supplementary materials that include PowerPoint lecture notes, an Instructor’s Manual, a test bank and five online tutorials.Table of ContentsIntroduction to Social Commerce.- Tools and Platforms for Social Commerce.- Supporting Theories and Concepts for Social Commerce.- Marketing Communications in Social Media.- Customer Engagement and Metrics.- Social Shopping: Concepts, Benefits, and Models.- Social Customer Service and CRM Contents.- The Social Enterprise: From Recruiting to problem Solving and Collaboration.- Innovative Social Commerce Applications: From Social Government to Entertainment and Gaming.- Strategy and Performance Management in Social Commerce.- Implementing Social Commerce Systems.

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the risks of information concealment in the context of major natural or industrial disasters – offering detailed descriptions and analyses of some 25 historical cases (Three Mile Island nuclear accident, Bhopal disaster, Challenger Space Shuttle explosion, Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster, Enron’s bankruptcy, Subprime mortgage crisis, Worldwide Spanish flu and SARS outbreaks, etc.) and applying these insights to selected on-going cases where such information concealment is suspected. Some successful examples of preventive anti-concealment practice are also presented.In the book, the term ‘concealment’ is used to represent the two distinct behaviors uncovered in the investigations: (i) facts and information about an organization and its functioning being hidden from those that need them – here the concealment can be due to various factors, such as complexity and miscommunication, to name but two – and (ii) the conscious and deliberate action of keeping important information secret or misrepresenting it. This second meaning makes up a surprisingly important part of the evidence presented. Accordingly, emphasis has been put on this second aspect and the approach is more pragmatic than academic, remaining focused on evidence-based practical and useful factors. It raises awareness and provides valuable lessons for decision- makers, risk specialists and responsible citizens alike. This work is also intended as a fact-based reference work for future academic and scholarly investigations on the roots of the problem, in particular regarding any psychological or sociological modeling of human fallibility. Table of ContentsPreface.- Setting the landscape.- Examples of risk information concealment practice.- Causes of risk information concealment.- Major on-going cases with information concealment practice.- Succesful risk information management.

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Book SynopsisThis book treats graph colouring as an algorithmic problem, with a strong emphasis on practical applications. The author describes and analyses some of the best-known algorithms for colouring arbitrary graphs, focusing on whether these heuristics can provide optimal solutions in some cases; how they perform on graphs where the chromatic number is unknown; and whether they can produce better solutions than other algorithms for certain types of graphs, and why. The introductory chapters explain graph colouring, and bounds and constructive algorithms. The author then shows how advanced, modern techniques can be applied to classic real-world operational research problems such as seating plans, sports scheduling, and university timetabling. He includes many examples, suggestions for further reading, and historical notes, and the book is supplemented by a website with an online suite of downloadable code. The book will be of value to researchers, graduate students, and practitioners in the areas of operations research, theoretical computer science, optimization, and computational intelligence. The reader should have elementary knowledge of sets, matrices, and enumerative combinatorics.Trade Review“The book gives a comprehensive description and handling on arguably one of the most important notions of combinatorics—graph coloring. … The book is nicely written, and carries a big pile of information valuable for both users and researchers in the field.” (András Sándor Pluhár, Mathematical Reviews, February, 2017)“This well-written book will serve as a utilitarian guide to graph coloring and its practical applications. It includes many definitions, theorems, proofs, algorithms, and pointers for further reading. The book will be helpful for teaching courses on graph coloring to students of mathematics and computer science. I strongly recommend it for the intended audience.” (S. V. Nagaraj, Computing Reviews, computingreviews.com, June, 2016)“The book is a comprehensive guide to graph colouring algorithms. … The book is a nice textbook for both undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of operations research and theoretical computer science. … Finally, it is a good source of knowledge for practitioners.” (Marcin Anholcer, zbMATH 1330.05002, 2016)Table of ContentsIntroduction to Graph Colouring.- Bounds and Constructive Algorithms.- Advanced Techniques for Graph Colouring.- Algorithm Case Studies.- Applications and Extensions.- Designing Seating Plans.- Designing Sports Leagues.- Designing University Timetables.- App. A, Computing Resources.- References.- Index.

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Book SynopsisThis monograph presents various approaches to understanding the multiple levels, layers, and definitions of culture, cross-cultural research, cross-cultural competence, the role of culture in organizations, organizational culture, and the role of multiple culture layers in individual workers’ workplace attitudes, performance, and general experiences. Inaugurating the new series SpringerBriefs on Culture, Organizations, and Work, it establishes both fundamental and controversial ideas related to the myriad ways of studying these topics. It highlights the wide variety of conceptual approaches for studying culture, organization and work and brings to light some of the critical questions related to culture (at all units and levels of analysis) and their effect on both the workplace and the worker in order to present a coherent educational resource for practitioners and researchers alike.Trade Review“This monograph is well organized and written. … although the monograph is geared towards the role of culture in organizations and work, much of the material relates to culture and its role in research, more generally speaking. In this light, I personally plan to include it as recommended reading for my graduate course in introductory research methods in psychology.” (Samuel T. Gontkovsky, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 62 (37), September, 2017)Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Culture across Disciplines.- Chapter 3. Toward an Operationalization of Culture.- Chapter 4. Organizations and Culture.- Chapter 5. Work and Culture.- Chapter 6. Cross-cultural Competence and Cultural Intelligence in the Workplace.- Chapter 7. Conclusions.- References.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the value of the musical concept of “agogics” – the modification of regular rhythm to enhance expressive potential – in understanding urban spatial configurations within the current technological context and in developing urban maps that exploit sonic signals to create an open learning framework. The book starts by discussing the meaning and significance of agogics in the musical and artistic realm, with reference to the work of Adolphe Appia, Emile-Jaques Dalcroze, and Iannis Xenakis, among others. Its relevance to cartography and mapping is then examined, taking into account the contributions of Ian McHarg, Bill Hillier, Mark Shepard, and Robin Minard. The nature and value of agogic maps, for example in fostering awareness of place and effective organization of spatial development, are described in detail, with reference to case studies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Segrate, Italy. It is explained how agogic maps take advantage of innovative categories and scripting equipment to provide a new mapping instrument for spatial and urban configurations, highlighting the interdependence between aural signals and spatial variables. This book will be of interest to architects, urbanists, and musicians with a specific interest in space and sound design.Table of ContentsAgogic in music: The practice of rhythm, from music to space and backward.- Agogic in space: A scenario for the Gesamtkustwerk.- Agogic and the space “undulated”.- Urban spectrographies and the problem of orientation in sensitive territories.- Space-script construction: Three phases in a topographic transformation of sound and visual material.- Euphony: Dissonances for a modern urban environment. Accessibility as the temperament of signals and impulses.- The role of sound maps: A “modern” paradigm in space design.- Urban sampling, two case studies: Reconstructing the inhabitation model through an aural imaginary.- The agogic script. Interdependency between aural signals and spatial variables.

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Book SynopsisPresenting 17 tools developed through rigorous design science research, this book bridges the relevance gap within network management. In so doing, it proposes a novel system-framework and establishes a path towards a networks-as-practice view on inter-organizational relationships. The systems-framework builds on three institutionalized business practices: Networks-as-coordinated social systems, Networks-as-knowledge-creating platforms, and Networks-as-value-generating entities. Through these tools, Towards Relational Business Practices intends to propose a new managerial praxis and provoke new and improved frameworks and models for network management. Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Part 1: Introduction to Part 1- Viewing Networks as Social Systems.- Chapter 2: Stakeholder Identification, Salience, and Strategic Mindset Analysis.- Chapter 3: Leading Human Values in Complex Environments.- Chapter 4: Making Sense of Network Dynamics through Network Picturing.- Chapter 5: Functional Contracting for Network Creation and Governance.- Chapter 6: Boundary Spanning and the Art of Persuasion.- Part 2: Introduction to Part 2: Knowledge Integration in Networks.- Chapter 7: Expert Knowledge Integration - A Systematic Approach for Multi-stakeholder Innovation.- Chapter 8: Third Party Supported Benchmarking for Reciprocal Learning.- Chapter 9: Value Proposition Co-development.- Chapter 10: Relational Factors as Part of Network Relationship Evaluation.- Chapter 11: Increasing Supplier-buyer Fit in Global Project Business - A Cognitive Ergonomics-based Approach.- Part 3: An Introduction to Part 3 - Moving Toward Mutual Benefits and Increased Total Value.- Chapter 12.- Life Cycle Cost Calculations as the Means for Value Communication in Networks.- Chapter 13: The Service Configurator - How to Optimally Split Project Scopes.- Chapter 14: The Value-based Sales Approach - Design Process, Tools and Needed Capabilities to Create A Solution.- Chapter 15: Value Co-creation Analysis in Customer-Supplier Network Relationships.- Chapter 16: Value Curve as a Multipurpose Tool - From Self-assessment to Forming Collaborative Networks.- Chapter 17: A Framework for Ecosystemic Strategizing and Change.- Chapter 18: Network Performance Management: Measurement, Scorecard, and Boundary Processes.- Chapter 19: Concluding Remarks- Managerial Tools in Networks-as-Practice Perspective.

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Book SynopsisThis is a complete update of the best-selling undergraduate textbook on Electronic Commerce (EC). New to this 4th Edition is the addition of material on Social Commerce (two chapters); a new tutorial on the major EC support technologies, including cloud computing, RFID, and EDI; ten new learning outcomes; and video exercises added to most chapters. Wherever appropriate, material on Social Commerce has been added to existing chapters. Supplementary material includes an Instructor’s Manual; Test Bank questions for each chapter; Powerpoint Lecture Notes; and a Companion Website that includes EC support technologies as well as online files.The book is organized into 12 chapters grouped into 6 parts. Part 1 is an Introduction to E-Commerce and E-Marketplaces. Part 2 focuses on EC Applications, while Part 3 looks at Emerging EC Platforms, with two new chapters on Social Commerce and Enterprise Social Networks. Part 4 examines EC Support Services, and Part 5 looks at E-Commerce Strategy and Implementation. Part 6 is a collection of online tutorials on Launching Online Businesses and EC Projects, with tutorials focusing on e-CRM; EC Technology; Business Intelligence, including Data-, Text-, and Web Mining; E-Collaboration; and Competition in Cyberspace.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Overview of Electronic Commerce.- Chapter 2. E-Commerce: Mechanisms, Platforms, and Tools.- Chapter 3. Retailing in Electronic Commerce: Products and Services.- Chapter 4. Business-to-Business E-Commerce.- Chapter 5. Innovative EC Systems: From E-Government to E-Learning, Knowledge Management, E-Health, and C2C Commerce.- Chapter 6. Mobile Commerce and the Internet of Things.- Chapter 7. Social Commerce: Foundations, Social Marketing, and Advertising.- Chapter 8. Social Enterprise and Other Social Commerce Topics.- Chapter 9. Marketing and Advertising in E-Commerce.- Chapter 10. E-Commerce Security and Fraud Issues and Protections.- Chapter 11. Electronic Commerce Payment Systems and Order Fulfillment.- Chapter 12. Implementation Issues: From Globalization to Justification, Privacy, and Regulation.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis timely book debates the economic and political logic of the austerity policies that have been implemented in the UK and in the Eurozone since 2010 and asks whether there is any alternative for these countries in the years ahead. The work reconsiders the austerity versus stimulus debate through the voices of those who proposed the successful idea of expansionary austerity and those who opposed it. The editors have brought together a collection of articles written by some of the most notable figures in the discipline, including the likes of Alberto Alesina, Ken Rogoff, Tim Besley, David Graeber, Vince Cable, and Paul Krugman. The book also features the debate between Niall Ferguson and Robert Skidelsky. These leading thinkers unveil a world where economists are far from agreeing on economic policy, and where politics often dominates the discussion. The question of whether the British government should have opted for austerity runs through the book, as well as how sustained economic recovery should be encouraged in the future. Scholars, students and members of the general public with an interest in the financial crisis and its lingering aftermath will find this work invaluable.Table of ContentsIntroduction. -1. The Politics of the Debate.- 2. The Two Sides of the Debate.- 3. Contemporary Arguments for Austerity.- 4. Contemporary Arguments for Stimulus.- 5. Confidence: The Object of the Debate.- 6. Austerity vs Stimulus in the UK.- 7. What's Next.

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Book SynopsisThis book considers representations of wealth and the wealthy in videogames. The introduction explores the estrangement of wealth from everyday life in the contemporary west, and argues that videogames have contributed to modern life by dramatizing the economic anxieties of our age — in particular, those anxieties that relate to the Global Great Recession. A review of historical titles reveals that such and related efforts draw in significant ways from the literary tradition of sentimental romance, where wealth and the wealthy have long been associated with notions of the underworld or hell. The relevance of this tradition to contemporary titles is explored through a careful analysis of romantic themes and concerns with significance to acts of exchange. The Wealth of Virtual Nations will appeal to students with an interest in narrative theory, game design, literature, economics, and the humanities. It will also be of interest to the videogame industry.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Analyzing Wealth in Videogames Chapter 2: Literary Theory for Gamers Chapter 3: The Symbolic Order of Action and Possibility Bearing on Time Chapter 4: Capital and Class Determinations in Videogames Chapter 5: Night World Identify Affirmations Chapter 6: Conclusion: The Wealth of Virtual Nations

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Book SynopsisResponding to the need for organizations to improve global strategic planning and execution, this book presents a framework for effectively conceiving and executing new concepts for international markets. Filling an important gap in knowledge and research on global innovation, the author demonstrates how leaders can facilitate multicultural collaboration in service of organizational performance. Cases and findings are shared from international studies of over 200 leaders and 45 multinational firms with headquarters based in Asia, Europe, and North America. Leading Global Innovation provides a practice perspective with specific models and solutions for facilitating multicultural team collaboration, from concept to market. This book offers crucial guidance for executives, managers, consultants, and educators who would like to understand how to lead and orchestrate innovation in a culturally diverse and networked business environment. Trade Review Table of Contents

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Book SynopsisThis textbook aims to develop a scientific knowledge base on spatial information technology to communicate the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among students, researchers, professionals and laymen. The book improves understanding of the spatial database and explains how to extract information from this for planning purposes. To enhance the knowledge of geoscientists and environmentalists, the book describes the basic fundamental concepts to advance techniques for spatial data management and analysis and discusses the methodology. The Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS) are presented in an integrated manner for the planning of resources and infrastructure. The management of these systems is discussed in a very lucid way to develop the reader's skills. The proper procedure for map making and spatial analysis are included along with case studies to the reader. Where the first part of the book discusses the conceptual background, the second part deals with case studies using these applications in different disciplines. The presented case studies include land use, agriculture, flood, watershed characterization and infrastructure assessment for the Sustainable Development Goals. Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Chapter 1. Spatial information technology: types, definitions and linkages.- Chapter 2. GIS database: spatial and non-spatial databases.- Chapter 3. Remote Sensing technology.- Chapter 4. Global Positioning System technology.- Chapter 5. Geo-Referencing system.- Chapter 6. Spatial mapping and sustainable resource management.- Chapter 7. Spatial database analysis.- Chapter 8. Map visualization process.- Chapter 9. Aerial Photography.- Chapter 10. Application and Case studies for the Sustainable Development Goals (five case studies including land use, agriculture, flood, watershed characterization and infrastructure assessment).

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the history of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and its place within capitalist development. Since 1948, the OECD and its forerunner, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) worked on almost every subject of interest to national governments ranging from economic growth to education (PISA rankings), statistics, to the environment. With varying success the OEEC/OECD thus played a key role as a warden of the West and of capitalist development. However, it has remained one of the least understood international organizations. Bringing together a number of case studies by scholars from around the world, this first source-based volume on the history of the OEEC/OECD in global governance offers not only a new understanding of the Organization’s key areas of activities, but also its multiple relations to member states, other international organizations, and private networks. The volume thus critically re-examines postwar international history, most importantly decolonization and the Cold War, through the prism of one international organization in its various contexts.Trade Review“This ground-breaking collection is part of a larger research project now based at the University of Zurich … . Although there is quite a substantial literature on the OECD, its rich archival resources are largely unstudied, and it is still relatively neglected among international organizations concerned with the global political economy. This volume continues the considerable task of remedying the first of these issues, and makes a strong contribution to the second across a wide range of issues.” (whatsworthreading.weebly.com, April, 2018)Table of ContentsIntroduction: Writing histories of the OECD; Matthieu Leimgruber & Matthias Schmelzer.- From the Marshall Plan to global governance: Historical transformations of the OEEC/OECD, 1948 to present; Matthias Schmelzer & Matthieu Leimgruber.- A short guide to historical archives, online resources, and research materials on the OEEC/OECD.- Part I: Being part of the West.- Western European vs. all-European cooperation? The OEEC, the European Recovery Program, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), 1947-1952; Daniel Stinsky.- A socialist developing country in a Western capitalist club. Yugoslavia and the OEEC/OECD, 1955-1980; Andrej Markovic & Ivan Obadic.- Shall we or shall we not? The Japanese, Australian and New Zealand decisions to apply for membership of the OECD, 1960-1973; Peter Carroll.- The construction of a Western voice: OECD and the first UNCTAD of 1964; Patricia Hongler.- Part II: Managing the economy.- From post-war reconstruction to multi-level neo-corporatism. The OEEC/OECD and steel during the Cold War; Wolfram Kaiser.- A crisis manager for the international monetary and financial system? The rise and fall of the OECD Working Party 3, 1961-1980; Kazuhiko Yago.- Peer pressure in Paris: Country reviews at the OECD in the 1960s and 1970s; William Gray.- ‘Positive adjustments’: the emergence of supply-side economics in the OECD and G7, 1970-1984; Samuel Beroud.- Part III: Coping with socio-ecological challenges.- The narrowing-down of the OEEC/OECD migration functions, 1947-1986; Emmanuel Comte & Simone Paoli.- Engineering the Free World. The emergence of the OECD as an actor in education policy, 1957-1972; Regula Bürgi.- Negotiating environment: The making of the OECD Environment Committee and the Polluter Pays Principle, 1968-1972; Iris Borowy.- Gendering development: the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, 1981-2000; Rianne Mahon.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a comprehensive guide to market timing using moving averages. Part I explores the foundations of market timing rules, presenting a methodology for examining how the value of a trading indicator is computed. Using this methodology the author then applies the computation of trading indicators to a variety of market timing rules to analyse the commonalities and differences between the rules. Part II goes on to present a comprehensive analysis of the empirical performance of trading rules based on moving averages.Table of ContentsPart I: Anatomy of Trading RulesSynopsis: Uncovers the anatomy of market timing rules based on moving averages of pricesChapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Moving AveragesSynopsis: This chapter presents all necessary information about different types of moving averages that are used in trading rules1. Simple Moving Average2. Linear Moving Average3. Exponential Moving Average4. Reverse Exponential Moving Averages5. Moving Averages of Moving Averages: Double and Triple Exponential Moving AverageChapter 3. Trading RulesSynopsis: This chapter introduces different trading rules that are used by practitioners1. Momentum Rule2. Price-minus-Moving Average Rule3. Change of Direction Rule4. Moving Average Crossover5. Moving Average Convergence DivergenceChapter 4. Anatomy of Trading RulesSynopsis: This is the core chapter in the first part of the book. Here I uncover the anatomy of each trading rule coupled with some specific type of a moving average1. Preliminaries2. Momentum Rule3. Price-minus-Moving Average Rule4. Change of Direction Rule5. Moving Average Crossover6. Moving Average Convergence DivergenceChapter 5. Summary and ConclusionsSynopsis: This chapter summarizes the information from the previous chapter and draws general conclusions1. Generic Trading Rule2. Alternative Construction of a Generic Trading RulePart II: Performance of Trading RulesSynopsis: In this part of the book I present the most comprehensive and objective analysis of empirical performance of market timing rules based on moving averagesChapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Transaction Costs and the Returns to a Trading StrategySynopsis: This chapter informs about transaction costs and their impact on the returns to a trading strategyChapter 3. Performance measurement of a Trading StrategySynopsis: This chapter presents the information about the measurement of the performance of a trading strategy and how to test the hypothesis whether an active trading strategy outperforms the passive strategy1. Mean returns2. Risk-adjusted returns: Modigiliani-Modigiliani measure (M2) and Sharpe ratio3. Statistical tests for outperformanceChapter 3. Simulation of Trading StrategiesSynopsis: In this chapter I explain how to simulate objectively the returns to a trading strategy1. In-Sample Simulation of a trading strategy2. Out-of-Sample Simulation of a trading strategy2.1 Splitting the total sample in two segments2.2 Rolling and Expanding window estimation schemes3. Adaptive approach to selecting a trading rule in out-of-sample testsChapter 4. Case Study: Historical Performance of Trading Rules on the S&P Composite IndexSynopsis: This is the core chapter in the second part of the book where I present the most comprehensive analysis of historical empirical performance of different trading rules using the longest historical period of 155 years1. Data1.1 Construction of 155 Year Historical Data1.2 Bull and Bear Cycles in the Stock Market1.3 Test for Structural Breaks in Data2. Historical Performance of the Most Typical Trading Rules2.1 The set of rules2.2 Time variations in the optimal size of the averaging window2.2 Performance over Bull and Bear Markets Separately2.3 Measuring Similarity Between Bull-Bear Markets and Buy-Sell Trading Signals2.4 Performance over Interchanging Bull and Bear Markets2.5 Performance over short- to medium-term horizons3. Historical Performance of Various Weighting Schemes3.1 Best performing weighting scheme3.2 Adaptive selection of the best weighting scheme3.3 Robust weighting schemeChapter 5. Case Study: Historical Performance of Trading Rules on Other Financial IndicesSynopsis: In this chapter I briefly evaluate the historical empirical performance of different trading rules using data on a set of different financial indices. The historical data in this chapter are much shorter than in the previous chapter and spans periods of maximum 90 years (beginning from 1926)1. The set of indices2. Historical performance of trading rulesChapter 6. Summary and ConclusionsSynopsis: This final chapter in the second part of the book summaries and draws general conclusion on the historical performance of trading rules based on moving averages

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Book SynopsisThis book shares unique perspectives on the successful global evolution and future ambitions of Chinese consumer companies. It presents an unprecedented collection of one-on-one interviews with some of the most influential leaders in China, whose companies offer diverse products and services. Further, the book offers future business leaders encouragement and guidance on how to ride the consumer wave in China. It also investigates some of the foremost current trends, revealing the best opportunities for companies to succeed on the Chinese market. Written by a successful business leader, this book is a timely must-read for anyone seeking to understand Chinese consumers, the Chinese market and what makes Chinese entrepreneurs tick – helping them learn how to do business “Made for China”.Table of ContentsChina's Customers and How to Lead the Trend With Them.- The Face - Accelerating Customer Individuality.- The Family - Enhancing Quality of Life.- The Food - Aspiring to a Healthy and Fashionable Diet.- Fun, Entertainment and Leisure.- Made for China - The Future.

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Book SynopsisThis is the companion workbook for the textbook Principles of Microeconomics. Each chapter features a wide variety of exercises, ranging from basic multiple-choice questions to challenging mathematical problems and case study scenarios.  The textbook pursues an integrative approach to modern microeconomics by critically reflecting on the main findings of economics from a philosophical standpoint and comparing them to approaches found in the social sciences. It adopts an institutional perspective to analyze the potential and limitations of different market types, and highlights implications for the design of the legal system and business practices throughout. In addition to traditional rational-choice models, important findings from behavioral economics and psychology are also presented.

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Book SynopsisThis must-read guide offers a practical and engaging introduction to the ins and outs of R&D leadership. Innovation is a two-trillion-dollar industry, and, on top of the baseline complexity faced by any manager, the R&D or Innovation leader confronts an additional set of challenges.Armed with years of experience in roles ranging from scientist to Vice President of R&D to founder of his own company to innovation career coach, Dr. Clifford L. Spiro shares his insights on a carefully curated selection of topics. This indispensable playbook covers: Building, managing, and motivating a team Setting schedules and goals Assessing and rewarding project success Working with other departments Legal and intellectual property considerations Dr. Spiro’s distinctive blend of big-picture strategic thinking and day-to-day, nitty-gritty tips (e.g., Five Great Questions For R&D Managers to Ask Every Time) is essential reading for current and aspiring R&D leaders through seasoned managers as well as anyone at an organization that has an R&D, innovation, or technology transfer component. Providing a prescriptive, in-the-trenches assessment of how to lead innovation more effectively, this book ably equips the reader to anticipate potential problems and to succeed both within the R&D department and across his or her company.Table of ContentsForeword.- Glossary.- Dedication.- Preface.- About the Author.- 1 What Do I Mean By “Innovation?”.- 2 Can Anyone, and Should Anyone, Lead Innovation?.- 3 Do You Have What it Takes to Lead Innovation?.- 4 Putting a Good Innovation Team Together.- 5 Getting the Right Portfolio Mix of Projects.- 6 Innovation Project Execution.- 7 Creating a Culture of Creativity.- 8 Creating a Learning Organization.- 9 Human Resource Issues For Innovation Organizations.- 10 Globalization of Innovation and Leading Remote Teams.- 11 Measuring Innovation Effectiveness.- 12 Earning Followership.- 13 Patents and Intellectual Property.- 14 Acquiring and Integrating Technology.- 15 The C-Suite, the Boardroom, and Beyond.- 16 Closing Thoughts.

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Book SynopsisAdopting an Evidence-Based Management (EBM) approach, this book provides the best evidence available on a wide range of topics from Industrial and Organizational Psychology to help managers base their decisions on scientific findings. Drawing on principles and methods first developed by Evidence-Based Medicine, EBM aims to promote the use of scientific knowledge in organizational and managerial decision making. Based on this idea, the book seeks to establish a dialogue between researchers and professionals of the Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Management fields, translating scientific knowledge into useful resources that can be used to inform practitioner’s decisions and interventions in topics such as: Creativity in organizations Optimism and hope Engagement at work Life and career planning Entrepreneurship Innovation in organizations Cultural diversity and inclusion in organizations Social networks Ageing at organizational context Work/life balance Positive rule breaking Expatriation Time pressure, Pacing styles and polychronicity Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction: The gap between research and professional practice in work and organizational psychology: tensions, beliefs and options.- Chapter 2. Creativity at work: trends and perspectives.- Chapter 3. Optimism and Hope in Work Organizations.- Chapter 4. Work engagement.- Chapter 5.Ageing in Brazil and Portugal and its impact on the organizational context.- Chapter 6. Life and Career Planning: current challenges.- Chapter 7. Work/life balance in a scenario of Brazilian change: Theoretical aspects and possibilities of interventions.- Chapter 8. The Psychology of Entrepreneurship.- Chapter 9. Innovation in organizations: main research results and their practical implications.- Chapter 10. Positive rule breaking and implications for organizations.- Chapter 11. Time Pressure, Pacing Styles and Polychronicity: Implications for Organizational Management.- Chapter 12. Cultural diversity and inclusion in organizations: State-of-the-arts and challenges.- Chapter 13. Social network analysis in organizations as management support tool.- Chapter 14. Expatriates: The multinationality of multinational and national firms.

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Book SynopsisThis book was originally published by Macmillan in 1936. It was voted the top Academic Book that Shaped Modern Britain by Academic Book Week (UK) in 2017, and in 2011 was placed on Time Magazine's top 100 non-fiction books written in English since 1923. Reissued with a fresh Introduction by the Nobel-prize winner Paul Krugman and a new Afterword by Keynes’ biographer Robert Skidelsky, this important work is made available to a new generation. The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money transformed economics and changed the face of modern macroeconomics. Keynes’ argument is based on the idea that the level of employment is not determined by the price of labour, but by the spending of money. It gave way to an entirely new approach where employment, inflation and the market economy are concerned. Highly provocative at its time of publication, this book and Keynes’ theories continue to remain the subject of much support and praise, criticism and debate. Economists at any stage in their career will enjoy revisiting this treatise and observing the relevance of Keynes’ work in today’s contemporary climate.Table of ContentsPreface by John Maynard Keynes Preface to the German Edition Preface to the Japanese Edition Preface to the French Edition Introduction by Paul Krugman Book I Introduction 1 The General Theory 2 The Postulates of the Classical Eco 3 The Principle of Effective Demand Book II Definitions and Ideas 4 The Choice of Units 5 Expectation as Determining Output and Employment. 6 The Definition of Income, Saving and Investment. 7 The Meaning of Saving and Investment Further Considered Book III The Propensity to Consume 8 The Propensity to Consume: I. The Objective Factors 9 The Propensity to Consume: II. The Subjective Factors 10 The Marginal Propensity to Consume and the Multiplier Book IV The Inducement to Invest 11 The Marginal Efficiency of Capital 12 The State of Long-Term Expectation 13 The General Theory of the Rate of Interest 14 The Classical Theory of the Rate of Interest 15 The Psychological and Business Incentives to Liquidity 16 Sundry Observations on the Nature of Capital 17 The Essential Properties of Interest and Money 18 The General Theory of Employment Re-Stated Book V Money-wages and Prices 19 Changes in Money-wages 20 The Employment Function 21 The Theory of Prices.- Book VI Short Notes Suggested by the General Theory 22 Notes on the Trade Cycle 23 Notes on Mercantilism, The Usury Laws, Stamped Money and Theories Of Under-Consumption 24 Concluding Notes on the Social Philosophy Towards which the General Theory Might Lead Afterword by Robert Skidelsky

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Book SynopsisBeing a successful manager or entrepreneur in the media and digital sector requires creativity, innovation, and performance. It also requires an understanding of the principles and tools of management. Aimed at the college market, this book is a short, foundational volume on media management. It summarizes the major dimensions of a business school curriculum and applies them to the entire media, media-tech, and digital sector. Its chapters cover—in a jargonless, non-technical way—the major functions of management. First, creating a media product: the financing of projects, and the management of technology, HR, production operations, intellectual assets, and government relations. Second, harvesting the product created: market research, marketing, pricing, and distribution. And third, the control loop: media accounting and strategy planning. In the process, this book becomes an indispensable resource for those aiming for a career in the media and digital field, both in startups and established organizations. This book is designed to help those aiming to join the media and digital sector to become creative managers and managerial creatives. It aims to make them more knowledgeable, less blinded by hype, more effective, and more responsible.Trade Review Table of Contents1. Introduction2. The Information Environment3. Production Management in Media and Information4. Technology Management in Media and Information Firms5. Human Resource Management for Media and Information Firms6. Financing Media, Information, and Communication7. Intellectual Asset Management8. Managing Law and Regulation9. Demand and Market Research for Media and Information Products10. Marketing of Media and Information11. Pricing of Media and Information12. Distribution of Media and Information13. Accounting in Media and Information Firms14. Strategy Planning in Media and Information Firms15. Concluding Observations

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Book SynopsisThis proactive guide brings the relationship between work life and mental well-being into sharp focus, surveying common challenges and outlining real-life solutions. The authors’ approach posits managers as the chief mental health officers of their teams, offering both a science-based framework for taking stock of their own impact on the workplace and strategies for improvement. Areas for promoting mental wellness include reducing stress and stigma, building a safe climate for talking about mental health issues, recognizing at-risk employees, and embracing diversity and neurodiversity. Emphasizing key questions to which managers should be attuned, the book speaks to its readers—whether in corporate, nonprofit, start-up, or non-business organizations—as a friendly and trusted mentor. Featured in the coverage: · Mind the mind: how am I doing, and how can I do better? · Dare to care: how are my people doing, and how might I help? · Building blocks for mental health: how do I manage my team? · Stress about stressors: what is constantly changing in the environment? · Changing my organization and beyond: how can I have a greater impact? Compassionate Management of Mental Health in the Modern Workplace holds timely relevance for managers, human resources staff, chief medical officers, development heads in professional service firms, union or employee organization leaders, legal and financial professionals, and others in leadership and coaching positions. “Workplace mental health: Wow! A subject that frightens most managers. If they read this book, they will strengthen their own skills and transform their workplace and our society.”Donna E. Shalala, Trustee Professor of Political Science and Health Policy, University of Miami; former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services“Mental health is an underappreciated, and oft-misunderstood challenge that is growing in the modern workplace. This book provides leaders with practical advice to address mental health challenges in their organization and improve productivity and wellbeing. This is a topic that can no longer be ignored by leaders in any field, and a book that will fundamentally change the way we think about and help improve mental health in the workplace.” Dominic Barton, Managing Director, McKinsey & Company Trade Review“Business school experts provide a sparkling description of what the rest of us in medicine and related fields have struggled to understand for decades. Rather remarkably, the authors emphasize compassion as a means of improving mental health in the modern workplace. … When I think of where we should be in the third decade of the new millennium, this is the type of book that I think will take us there.” (John T. Pierce, Doody's Book Reviews, February, 2019)​Table of ContentsChapter 1: Making the Argument that Good (Mental) Health Means Good (or Better) BusinessThe book begins by demonstrating the increasing importance of mental wellness in the knowledge economy by reviewing the latest thinking about the connection between mental health, physical health, and business productivity. The authors want to show how expensive the issue of poor mental health is for organizations and society, while also addressing the challenges of measuring returns on investment in mental health. The authors define key terms and concepts.Chapter 2: The Organizational ContextIn this chapter the authors argue that while the challenge caused by poor mental health among employees and leaders touches organizations of all sizes and types, companies and organizations have different needs, norms, and resources that will shape managerial options to prevent illness and maximize mental wellness. In addition, the more transience in employment, the less firms invest in the mental wellness of particular employees. The authors explain how maximizing mental wellness depends on aligning the needs of employees and managers; with that starts with careful recruiting and onboarding and then a continual monitoring of an employee's ability to perform to his or her potential. There has to be a three-way fit to maximize mental wellness and performance at work. The authors include a set of questions that recruiters and managers can ask to ascertain fit – general questions if answered unsatisfactorily will be potential stressors. Employees should think more about what type of employer to choose.Managers also need to be honest about best potential fit – a company with very tight shipping deadlines may be an ideal fit for a very anxious person, for example, who will do his or her utmost to make the deadline, but uncertain and unpredictable deadlines might be a greater source of stress for this individual. The company and employee need to ensure that the essential duties of the work can be performed and remain on the constant lookout for congruence, including their own.Chapter 3: Focusing Managerial AttentionJust as the line managers operate in different contexts, their employees are not homogeneous and are likely to have different needs at different points in their lives. Within various organizational forms (small, big, private, and public), there are key inflection points and population subgroups that are at most risk for severe declines in mental wellness. Assuming a normal distribution of mental wellness and that management time is already tight, should efforts focus on the most ill and potentially more dangerous employees, or on the largest population? The authors believe that managers have four sets of workers around which to tailor messaging and interventions — those who do not suffer from mental illness and do not get involved in any maintenance work (the well/uninvolved); those who do not suffer from mental illness but are very committed to maintaining mental wellness (the well/involved), for example, taking care in company-sponsored mindfulness training and taking real vacation; those who suffer from mental illness and do not or cannot get care (the unwell/uninvolved), for example, those who remain at work either resigned about being unwell, or too afraid to disclose; and those who suffer from mental illness and are committed and able to seek support and improvement (the unwell/involved), for example, by seeking out Employee Assistance Program services.Chapter 4: Warning: More Stressors AheadThis chapter examines trends that could further increase stress in the workplace, from greater uncertainty to the challenges posed by technology. Even the most advanced organizations must realize that what might work today might no longer be appropriate tomorrow, as both organizations and people are changing. About a quarter of the next generation of workers is already showing signs of depression and anxiety as teenagers and young adults.The world and workplace are increasingly volatile, uncertain, chaotic, and ambiguous. Some threats are more remote and diffuse, such as climate change and terrorism, but more present thanks to technology. Constant news from across the world makes it seem more unstable than ever; rising income inequality and extensive reporting make the world seem more unfair than ever. Business is now widely expected to do well by doing good — an imperative that often places line managers in stressful positions. Ethical dilemmas abound. Jobs are constantly morphing and family lives become increasingly complicated in today's "never on/never off," sleep-deprived life. Telecommuting makes it harder to commune with and be close to employees, and fewer firms conduct annual performance reviews, potentially depriving managers of a more systematic check-in.Chapter 5: Barriers to Changing the Way We Think About Mental WellnessDespite increasing attention to and openness about mental illness in the workplace, most of us cover up mental illness at work and at home for fear of retribution or shame. Organizations and the individuals within them need to be open, not just allowing personal improvements to become organizational improvement, but also to conveying the message that sharing personal difficulties is acceptable.Further, we learn early on that to be part of an organization, we sacrifice parts of our identity to conform. Recently leadership researchers have been focused on the challenge of authenticity — or the freedom from being false at work. But while, in theory, top managers may derive power from the ability to be themselves and hence appear more trustworthy to followers, it is a tricky process for middle managers and an even more fraught one for their employees. Employees also need to carefully read the organizational tea leaves about how much transparency about mental health challenges a group or organization will welcome. These challenges are illustrated with material from interviews with leaders describing how they approached sharing their own past and contemporary mental health issues and what impact doing so had on them and their colleagues. The authors would also want to tease out how such active management of the issue plays out in different organizations (large vs. small, listed vs. private, established vs. start up, etc.). Admitting imperfection is challenging in the age of social media, which trains us to portray our lives as perfect. This poses a particular challenge to managers seeking to engage with employees – if they are to interact authentically, both will need to drop their masks.Finally, if the manager is vested with the ability to make a difference for the better, she and her reports and peers are still operating within a broader set of organizational rules and norms. By enabling her employees to take more leaves or be more open about mental health challenges and being more willing to watch for and act upon micro-signals, she might be helping her employees thrive in the short term but harming them in the longer term and greater organizational context. In this section the authors want to address some of these challenges. Much as a lot of leadership training fails to generate a return, or disappoints because personal change is stymied by the organizational system, so an entire system must change to support new behaviors.Chapter 6: Harnessing Mental Wellness as Competitive AdvantageIn this chapter the authors showcase companies and organizations that have been particularly effective in harnessing mental wellness as competitive advantage. They draw upon their research in Asia, LatinAmerica, and Europe but focus mostly on the United States. This chapter includes a series of checklists for managers and employees.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a guide for managers, Scrum Masters and agile coaches who are interested in agile organizational methods and who are planning to introduce Scrum at their own company. Scrum is not only a product development framework but can also be used to structure activities for agile and lean organizational development.Divided into six major parts, the book first introduces and defines the Scrum Culture briefly. It explains its relevance, highlights a number of pain points typical for first encounters with Scrum, and embeds it in an introduction to organizational change. This is complemented with many real-life examples that help to apply the concepts to readers’ own specific contexts. The second part describes the principles of introducing Scrum in detail, while the third part embarks on the practical application of these principles, drawing on a wealth of experience gathered in many successful introduction projects. Part four focuses on a detailed case study of a Scrum transformation before part five provides the scientific background information and study details that led to the findings in part one. In closing, part six offers a number of appendices with extensive information on Scrum and its principles.The second edition of this book has been updated throughout and fundamentally re-organized for better readability. Table of ContentsPart I: the Scrum Culture.- Part II: The Theory of Introducing Scrum.- Part III: The Practical Appication of Kotter's Principles.- Part IV: Case Study.- Part V: The Scientific Part of the Scrum Culture.- Part VI: Additional Information.

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Book SynopsisThis book seeks to investigate ‘platform power’ in the multi-platform era and unravels the evolution of power structures in the TV industry as a result of platformisation. Multiple TV platforms and modes of distribution are competing–not necessarily in a zero-sum game–to control the market. In the volume, the contributors work to extend established ‘platform theory’ to the TV industry, which has become increasingly organised as a platform economy. The book helps to understand how platform power arises in the industry, how it destabilises international relations, and how it is used in the global media value chain. Platform Power and Policy in Transforming Television Markets contributes to the growing field of media industry studies, and draws on scholarly work in communication, political economy and public policy whilst providing a deeper insight into the transformation of the TV industry from an economic, political and consumer level. Avoiding a merely legal analysis from a technology-driven perspective, the book provides a critical analysis of the dominant modes of power within the evolving structures of the global TV value chain. Trade Review“This book is a welcome addition to the fields of media policy, media industries and screen business. ... It is an ambitious book that tackles the emergence and impact of new players across the globe, detailing the complex interactions between national policy, business models and patterns of consumption. ... The breadth of the research is one of the strengths of this book.” (Jane Roscoe, Critical Studies in Television, Vol. 14 (2), 2019)Table of Contents1. Introduction: Planet Of The Platforms.- 2. From Local Utility To Global Commodity, Case Liberty Global: All Along The Value Chain.- 3. Game Of Screens, Case Netflix: Turning Data Into Content.- 4. Power To The Platforms, Case Hulu: Partners In Crime.- 5. The Retransmission Swamp, Case Fox Networks: The Howling Wolf.- 6. Regulating The Retransmission Swamp, Case Aereo, Bhaalu And Friends: Copyright In The Cloud.- 7. Policing The Platforms, Case Time Warner + AT&T: A Great Deal.- 8.Conclusion: Winner Takes It All.

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Book SynopsisThis book about mathematics and methodology for economics is the result of the lifelong experience of the authors. It is written for university students as well as for students of applied sciences. This self-contained book does not assume any previous knowledge of high school mathematics and helps understanding the basics of economic theory-building. Starting from set theory it thoroughly discusses linear and non-linear functions, differential equations, difference equations, and all necessary theoretical constructs for building sound economic models. The authors also present a solid introduction to linear optimisation and game theory using production systems. A detailed discussion on market equilibrium, in particular on Nash Equilibrium, and on non-linear optimisation is also provided. Throughout the book the student is well supplied with numerous examples, some 2000 problems and their solutions to apply the knowledge to economic theories and models. Table of ContentsSets, Numbers and Vectors.- Production Systems.- Mappings, Functions.- Affine and Linear Functions.- Linear Optimisation, Duality. Zero-Sum Games.- Functions, Their Limits, and Their Derivatives.- Nonlinear Functions.- Nonlinear Optimisation.- Set Valued Functions. Equilibria. Games.- Integrals.- Differential Equations.- Difference Equations.- Models and Theories in Economics.

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Book SynopsisThis exciting resource examines pioneering, successful business models in healthcare services, emphasizing bold and innovative entrepreneurship in creating care delivery that is accessible, affordable, and effective. Expert contributors supply fascinating case studies of visionary principles at work in hospitals, specialist care, eHealth providers, and insurers along with practical guidance on building and sustaining a vision, a brand, an organization, and a loyal base of clients, employees, and investors. Featured companies demonstrate how moving beyond conventional patient/provider, service/cost, and other relationships can translate into improvements that benefit clients’ health and stakeholders’ bottom line as well as the larger community and potentially the world. Coverage analyzes key attributes of these successful entities, detailing key challenges, funding issues, and especially breakthrough goals, including: Strengthening mutual caring and sharing. Letting prevention and self-management work. Patient-centered organization of information and everyday care. Deploying services and instruments to help customers take control. Implementing differentiation in specialized healthcare. The result is crucial takeaways for creating transformational business models in health fields. Approachably written and brimming with infographics, Brilliant Business Models in Healthcare provides inspiring role models for entrepreneurs, managers, consultants, and professionals in the healthcare sector, including providers, insurers, technology suppliers, and pharmacists. Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why, what? Guide for your reading enjoyment Part 1: The framework for brilliant business models in healthcare Chapter 1 What are the cornerstones of a brilliant business model? 1.1 Vision 1.2 Brand positioning Chapter 2 What is a business model? 2.1 Market segments 2.2 Customer value 2.3 Delivery 2.4 Operation Chapter 3 Value creation and overall framework 3.1 Value creation for all stakeholders 3.2 Conceptual framework and phasing 3.3 Permanent brilliance? Chapter 4 Challenges for brilliant business models in healthcare 4.1 Good, affordable and widely accessible healthcare is unique 4.2 Cost increases put accessibility, quality and healthcare systems at risk 4.3 Desired breakthroughs in healthcare Part 2: Brilliant cases involving brilliant business models in healthcare Chapter 5 Breakthrough: Strengthening mutual caring and sharing 5.1 General Healthcare fund Amsterdam – Wim Niesing & Jeroen Kemperman 5.2 DHAN – Tom Buijtendorp & Jeroen Kemperman 5.3 Courtyard houses – Jeroen Kemperman, Ida Kemperman & Wilke Schouten 5.4 Stiftung Liebenau – Rick Kasper, Tim Widdershoven, Sanne Boevé & Jeroen Geelhoed Chapter 6 Breakthrough: Letting prevention and self-management work 6.1 Discovery – Thomas Bachet, Raheel Raisi & Jeroen Kemperman 6.2 Healthways – Jeroen Kemperman, Sytze de With & Mirthe van de Belt 6.3 Kaiser Permanente – Koen Harms & Jennifer op ’t Hoog 6.4 PatientsLikeMe – Annemijn Kuenen, Heleen Borleffs, Tim Widdershoven & Jeroen Geelhoed Chapter 7 Breakthrough: Patient-centered organization of information and everyday care 7.1 UCLA’s Value Quotient – Heleen Borleffs, Daniel Hommes & Jeroen Kemperman 7.2 ParkinsonNet – Rosanne Preyde, Kerwin Hartman & Jennifer op ’t Hoog 7.3 Laastari Lähiklinikka – Monique Heeren & Jennifer op ’t Hoog 7.4 Patrick Lund Dental Happiness – Tim Widdershoven, Rick Kasper & Jeroen Geelhoed Chapter 8 Breakthrough: Deploying services and instruments to help customers take control 8.1 Ryhov – Bonny van Rest & Jennifer op ’t Hoog 8.2 BerylHealth – Jeroen Geelhoed & Tim Widdershoven 8.3 M-PESA – Wouter Houtman & Jennifer op ’t Hoog <8.4 Jaipur Foot – Kristin Fransz, Ilse Hoogervorst & Jeroen Kemperman Chapter 9Breakthrough: Implementing differentiation in specialized healthcare Introduction: Case in Phase 4 “The brilliant business model of Shouldice” 9.1 Narayana Hrudayalaya – Raymond Fafié & Jeroen Kemperman 9.2 ThedaCare – Karen Willemsen, Maarten Akkerman & Jennifer op ’t Hoog 9.3 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – Denise Altena, Esmée Grobbee & Jennifer op ’t Hoog 9.4 Mayo Clinic – Bas Schepman, Jennifer op ’t Hoog & Jeroen Kemperman Chapter 10 Lessons for creating brilliant business models in healthcare 10.1 Phase 1: Start from a vision and bring the brand positioning in line with it 10.2 Phase 2: Persevere consistently in the conversion of the vision into the business model 10.3 Phase 3: Use pioneering value creation for all stakeholders to realize the business model 10.4 Phase 4: Retain the core and stimulate progress in the business model Key terms and definitions Notes Sources The editorial team Case authors Acknowledgement

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Book SynopsisThis book describes a variety of quantitative methods that are vital to planning and control in the operations of the industrial world, from suppliers to manufacturing plants to distribution centers and to the dealers and stores. The topics include: forecasting, measuring forecast error, determining the order quantity, safety stock, when and how much inventory to replenish, all this for individual items and for a distribution network where the items are housed in multiple locations. Further quantitative methods are: manufacturing control, just-in-time, assembly, statistical process control, distribution network, supply chain management, transportation and reverse logistics. The methods are proven, practical and doable for most applications. The material in Elements of Manufacturing, Distribution and Logistics presents topics that people want and should know in the work place. The presentation is easy to read for students and practitioners. There is little need to delve into difficult mathematical relationships, and numerical examples are presented throughout to guide the reader on applications. Practitioners will be able to apply the methods learned to the systems in their locations, and the typical professional will want the book on their bookshelf for reference. Everyone in professional organizations like APICS, DSI and INFORMS; MBA graduates, people in industry, and students in management science, business and industrial engineering will find this book valuable.Table of ContentsForecasting.- Forecast Error.- Order Quantity.- Safety Stock.- Replenishments.- Distribution Control.- Manufacturing Control.- Just-in-Time.- Assembly.- Statistical Process Control.- Distribution Network.- Supply Chain Management.- Transportation.- Reverse Logistics.

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Book SynopsisThis timely reference analyzes the rationale, impact, and feasibility of taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) as a public health measure to contribute curbing obesity and diabetes rates, specifically in Canada. It presents the pros and cons of taxing soda, with the latest data on adverse health effects of its consumption, plus the various business and political issues surrounding the contentious proposition. Reviewed research is multidisciplinary, spanning health and medicine to ethics, economics, and law. Conclusions and caveats are clear and presented at a comfort level for the general reader. The result is a blueprint for analyzing the relevancy of taxes on sweetened soft drinks or other low-nutrition food products, plus a trove of valuable insights into aspects of government decision-making and consumer food behavior. Included in the coverage: · Reasons for specifically targeting SSBs · SSB taxation as a public health policy instrument · Effects of SSB taxation on energy intakes and population health · Potential undesirable effects relating to SSB taxation · Social and political acceptability of SSB taxation · Evaluability of SSB taxation Taxing Soda for Public Health will interest policymakers, public health professionals, advocacy groups, and researchers at the Canadian and international levels (e.g., in areas such as public health, nutrition, food and health policies, health economics, and evaluation), as well as students and all other parties interested in nutrition policies.Table of ContentsSummary1. Introduction2. Methods2.1 Theoretical basis2.2 A 'realist' review of evidence2.3 Data collection2.4 Data analysis3. Why - Rationale3.1 Reasons for targeting specifically SSB (sugar sweetened beverages) 3.1.1 SSB and health risks 3.1.2 SSB consumption and marketing trends 3.1.3 Considerations on some other non-alcoholic beverages 3.1.4 Concluding comments3.2 Merits of SSB taxation as a public health policy instrument 3.2.1 Price, a key determinant of food habits 3.2.2 Taxing SSB as part of a comprehensive strategy 3.2.3 Learning from tobacco taxation 3.2.4 Taxation, a highly cost-effective option 3.2.5 Concluding comments3.3 Economic rationale for taxation and ethical concerns 3.3.1 Economic debates about the normative justification of SSB taxation 3.3.2 Ethical concerns surrounding freedom of choice and autonomy 3.3.3 Concluding comments3.4 Clarifying SSB taxation logics4. What - Impact4.1 Tax effects on SSB prices 4.1.1 Factors that may impair SSB tax shift onto prices 4.1.2 Empirical evidence 4.1.3 Additional proposals to secure the pass-through 4.1.4 Concluding comments4.2 Tax effects on SSB demand 4.2.1 Findings from experimental studies 4.2.2 Factors that may impair tax effects on demand in the 'real world' 4.2.3 'Real-world' price-elasticity of SSB demand 4.2.4 Preliminary evidence from taxes implemented across the world 4.2.5 May we miss our core target? 4.2.6 Concluding comments4.3 Tax effects on energy intakes and population health 4.3.1 Overview of substitution concerns 4.3.2 Results from public health modeling studies 4.3.3 Results from economics modeling studies 4.3.4 Preliminary evidence from taxes implemented across the world 4.3.5 Concluding comments4.4 Potential inequities related to SSB taxation 4.4.1 Distribution of changes in SSB intakes 4.4.2 Distribution of the financial contribution to tax revenues  4.4.3 Distribution of effects according to SSB consumption levels 4.4.4 Equity concerns and acceptability of SSB taxation 4.4.5 Concluding comments4.5 Potential undesirable effects related to SSB taxation 4.5.1 Tax-related administration costs for industries 4.5.2 Tax impact on profitability 4.5.3 Tax impact on employment 4.5.4 Tax impact on investments 4.5.5 Tax impact on competitiveness 4.5.6 Tax impact on cross-border trade 4.5.7 Concluding comments4.6 Raising fiscal revenues from SSB taxation 4.6.1 Confidence and estimations 4.6.2 Justification for targeting SSB specifically 4.6.3 Pursuing both fiscal and behavioural logics may be paradoxical 4.6.4 The importance of earmarking tax revenues to health promotion 4.6.5 Concluding comments4.7 Potential 'signal' effects from SSB taxation 4.7.1 An 'alarm-signal' to the population 4.7.2 A 'coercive signal' to manufacturers 4.7.3 Arguments for a comprehensive 'de-normalization' strategy 4.7.4 The complex evaluation of signal effects 4.7.5 Concluding comments5. How - Applicability5.1 Legal and administrative feasibility 5.1.1 The complexity of sweetener inputs' taxation 5.1.2 Excise taxes commonly preferred to sales taxes 5.1.3 How feasible is it to rely on sales and/or excise SSB taxes in Canada? 5.1.4 Concerns on the scope of the tax and its rate 5.1.5 Concluding comments5.2 Social and political acceptability 5.2.1 International perspective 5.2.2 Canadian experts 5.2.3 Canadian civil society 5.2.4 Canadian elected representatives 5.2.5 Canadian public opinion 5.2.6 Importance of a constructive dialogue 5.2.7 Concluding comments5.3 Evaluability 5.3.1 Importance of SSB taxation evaluation 5.3.2 Evaluation of a price-induced behavioural logic 5.3.3 Evaluation of a fiscal logic 5.3.4 Evaluation of a signal-induced de-normalization logic  5.3.5 The challenge of robust economic evaluations 5.3.6 Concluding comments6. Discussion6.1 Proposal of a multi-dimensional evidence-based framework6.2 Conclusion7. Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book focuses on the implementation of digital strategies in the public sectors in the US, Mexico, Brazil, India and Germany. The case studies presented examine different digital projects by looking at their impact as well as their alignment with their national governments’ digital strategies. The contributors assess the current state of digital government, analyze the contribution of digital technologies in achieving outcomes for citizens, discuss ways to measure digitalization and address the question of how governments oversee the legal and regulatory obligations of information technology. The book argues that most countries formulate good strategies for digital government, but do not effectively prescribe and implement corresponding policies and programs. Showing specific programs that deliver results can help policy makers, knowledge specialists and public-sector researchers to develop best practices for future national strategies.Trade Review“The book provide a useful resource for government policy makers and public sector researchers to develop best practices for evolving national strategies. … The book may also be useful for graduate students pursuing a course on e-governance in their public policy or public sector management programs; it provides a concise reference resource for taking up further research.” (C.S. Arora, Computing Reviews, April, 2018)​Table of ContentsTheory and Foundations of Digital Government: The Promise of Digital Government.- Measuring Digital Government: How to Assess and Compare Digitalisation in Public Sector Organisations.- Technology for Good: Innovative Uses of Emerging Technologies to Address Social Challenges.- Regulation of Digital Government.- Country Studies: Mexico: Single Window for Foreign Trade.- USA: Broadband Access and Adoption in New York State.- Brazil: Transparency Portal of the Federal Government.- India: Unique Identification Authority.- Germany: The Path to Open Data Leadership.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first study that analyses bilateral commercial treaties as instruments of peace and trade comparatively and over time. The work focuses on commercial treaties as an index of the challenges of eighteenth-century European politics, shaping a new understanding of these challenges and of how they were confronted at the time in theory and diplomatic practice. From the middle of the seventeenth century to the time of the Napoleonic wars bilateral commercial treaties were concluded not only at the end of large-scale wars accompanying peace settlements, but also independently with the aim to prevent or contain war through controlling the balance of trade between states. Commercial treaties were also understood by major political writers across Europe as practical manifestations of the wider intellectual problem of devising a system of interstate trade in which the principles of reciprocity and equality were combined to produce sustainable peaceful economic development. Trade Review“The volume at hand should be celebrated for highlighting their importance for early modern history in general and for political economy more specifically. … this excellent edited volume offers a welcome reminder not only of the high stakes of our current predicaments but also of how long they have been so and why peaceful international order remains so elusive in a world where wealth and power are positional goods.” (Sophus A. Reinert, Journal of Modern History, Issue 9, 2019)Table of Contents1. Trade and Treaties: Balancing the Interstate system; Antonella Alimento & Koen Stapelbroek.- 2. Égalité, réciprocité, souveraineté. The role of commercial treaties in Colbert’s economic policy; Moritz Isenmann.- 3. The Anglo-Portuguese Methuen Treaty of 1703: Opportunities and Constraints of Economic Development; José Luís Cardoso.- 4. The Anglo-French Treaty of Utrecht Revisited: The Politics of Alliance and Rivalry; Doohwan Ahn.- 5. The Anglo-Spanish Asiento treaty in the early eighteenth century; Maria Virginia León & Niccolò Guasti.- 6. Negotiating the balance of power: Russian-Spanish commercial relations in the early eighteenth century; Olga Volosyuk.- 7. Reinventing the Dutch Republic: Franco-Dutch commercial treaties from Ryswick to Vienna; Koen Stapelbroek,- 8. The conditions of trade in wartime: treaties of commerce and maritime law in the eighteenth century; Eric Schnakenbourg.- 9. From privilege to equality: commercial treaties and the French solutions for international competition (1705-1790); Antonella Alimento,- 10 Securing Asian Trade: Treaty Negotiations between the French and English East India Companies, 1753–1755; John Shovlin.- 11. The Rise of a Trading Nation. Prussia and the ‘Convention préliminaire de commerce’ with France (1753); Marco Cavarzere.- 12. War, Neutrality and Commercial Treaties: The Savoyard State 1660-1789; Christopher Storrs.- 13. Negotiating a trade treaty in the imperial context: The Habsburg Monarchy in the eighteenth century; Christine Lebeau.- 14. French Representations of the 1786 Franco-British Commercial Treaty; Pascal Dupuy.- 15 Haiti’s Commercial Treaties: Between Abolition and the Persistence of the Old Regime; Paul Cheney.- 16. What trade for a republican people? French Revolutionary debates about commercial treaties (1792-1799); Marc Belissa.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates how corporate governance is directing the internal audit function (IAF) adaptation as a response to enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. To date, there is insufficient knowledge about the adaptations of the IAF, which are required if it is to maintain its essential role as a governance mechanism. This book extends the reader’s knowledge by exploring and theorising the adaptation of the IAF after ERP introduction and points towards future trends. Adopting an institutional approach, it analyses how the IAF responds to the external governance pressures and the internal pressures of the control logic following the introduction of an ERP system. Featuring data from two listed companies in the food and beverage sector and two large banks operating in Egypt, this volume will be of interest to researchers and academics in the field of financing and ERP systems in particular. Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction.-Chapter 2: The Enterprise Resource Planning System as a change motive for the Internal Audity Function.- Chapter 3: Institutional Framework for the Study.- Chapter Four: Research Methodology.- Chapter 5: Findings from the Individual Case Studies.- Chapter 6: Cross-Case Analysis and Discussion.-Chapter 7: Conclusion.

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