Search results for ""insights""

Paul’s letter to the Romans is not just the longest surviving letter from the ancient world. It was also the most dangerous. Paul sent it into Nero’s backyard to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and that his readers needed to surrender. Whatever the world may have told us and whatever false gospels we may have believed, it’s time for all of us to wake up to Paul’s message that there is a new King in town. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

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From Zeus and Hephaestus to Hades and Persephone, this book reveals the origins of nearly thirty Greek gods and goddesses, how they've been worshipped across the centuries, and how you can work with them in your own practice. Jason Mankey and Astrea Taylor introduce you to the gods one by one, presenting their history, unique correspondences, and a ritual or spell for connecting with them. You'll also enjoy insightful contributions from members of the Witchcraft community who actively work with these deities. Modern Witchcraft with the Greek Gods features other mythological figures as well, such as the Titans and Primordial Forces, and it explores the spell and ritual structures of ancient times. Everything you want to know about Greek gods and how to call upon them today is in this book.

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Praise for The Markets Never Sleep "An excellent primer for futures and the global financial market, a clear voice of their importance for all traders. Tom also gives an easy-to-understand professional approach to discipline, money management, and the 'numbers' to watch that indicate market direction. Help for all traders to earn bigger, more consistent profits." --Ned W. Bennett, CEO, optionsXpress, Inc. "Well . . . they've done it again! Tom and Patsy have written another insightful and entertaining book on understanding and trading the world's markets. The Markets Never Sleep shows how to analyze all the global markets and use timing and money management to control losses and reap significant rewards without using up all of one's emotional energy. In other words, everything needed to make trading fun and profitable!" --Russ Mothershed, former corporate executive and current DTI student "Trading follows the sun, as Busby points out, and with a click of one's mouse, traders today have the full advantage of global trading. Busby makes a compelling case for opportunistic trading. In an easy-to-follow outline, he shares trading strategies to ensure a high probability of profit. The Markets Never Sleep is a must-read for traders and investors who seek insight navigating the global markets." --Chuck Dukas, President, TRENDadvisor.com

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The creative programs shared in this book vividly demonstrate the ways in which library programming can make communities stronger and more resilient by creating lifelong learners, fostering conversation, and forging connections. From the moment the pandemic took hold in Spring 2020, libraries and library workers have demonstrated their fortitude and flexibility by adapting to physical closures, social distancing guidelines, and a host of other challenges. Despite the obstacles, they've been able to stay connected to their communities-and helped connect the people in their communities to each other, as well as to the information and services they need and enjoy. Ostman and ALA's Public Programs Office (PPO) here present a handpicked cross-section of successful programs, most of them virtual, from a range of different libraries. Featuring events designed to support learning, spark conversation, create connection, or simply entertain, the ideas here will inspire programming staff to try similar offerings at their own libraries. Showcasing innovation in action as well as lessons learned, programs include COVID-19 Misinformation Challenge, featuring an email quiz, to encourage participants to separate fact from fiction; weekly virtual storytimes; community cooking demonstrations via Zoom; an online grocery store tour, complete with tips about shopping healthy on a budget; a virtual beer tasting that boasted 80 attendees; socially distanced "creativity crates" for summer reading; an online Minecraft club for kids ages 6 and up; a Zoom presentation about grieving and funerals during COVID, featuring the director of a local funeral home; Art Talk Tuesday, a one-hour, docent-led program; a virtual lecture on the history of witchcraft, presented by a public library in partnership with a university rare book room, that drew thousands of viewers; "knitting for knewbies" kits for curbside pickup; Songs from the Stacks, an ongoing virtual concert series in the style of NPR's "Tiny Desk"; and a pink supermoon viewing party that included people howling at the moon together from their homes on Facebook Live.

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If the book of Isaiah doesn't make your head hurt then you are not reading it properly. It was designed to stretch your mind and blow your senses with the greatness of God. Isaiah's vision of God changed everything for him and it will do the same for us. It shows us that God is far bigger than we thought. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

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Adopted internationally by business schools and MBA programmes, this book is the ultimate resource for senior strategists, positioning professionals and postgraduate students to understand and overcome the challenges of brand management and strategy today, written by the leading international expert of branding, Jean-Noël Kapferer. The New Strategic Brand Management is simply the reference source for branding professionals and postgraduate students. Over the years it has not only established a reputation as one of the leading works on brand strategy, but also has become synonymous with the topic itself. Using an array of international case studies, this book covers all the leading issues faced by brand strategists today, with both gravitas and intelligent insight. It reveals new thinking on topics such as putting culture and content into brands, the impact of private labels and the comeback of local brands. This updated fifth edition builds on the book's already impressive reputation, including new content that will help students and practitioners stay up to date with targeting, with relevant research and market knowledge to support the discipline. With dedicated sections for specific types of brands (luxury, corporate and retail), international examples and case studies from companies such as Audi, Nivea, Toyota and Absolut Vodka; plus models and frameworks such as the Brand Identity Prism; The New Strategic Brand Management remains at the forefront of strategic brand thinking.

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Industrial Revolution 4.0 is upon us, with disruptive technology rapidly changing our personal and professional lives. In this climate it is not clear how organization reorganization will take place and there is haziness over the strategic HRM required to attract, develop, and retain talent. This book shines a light on the rapidly changing work landscape by bringing together international expert contributors, who address issues such as the long-term effects of artificial intelligence and block chain technologies on the firm and on human resources, and deliberate on the effects Industrial Revolution 4.0 is likely to have on both emerging economies and developed countries. A number of fundamental questions are asked: Will HR managers perceive IT as a supporting adjunct or a core operational department? Will man and machine co-exist, or will artificial intelligence have more ominous implications for humanity, as predicted by Stephen Hawking? In other words, is HRM 4.0 an opportunity, a transient phase, or an impending threat? Human and Technological Resource Management is a must read for students and scholars of HRM, as well as anyone interested in the future of technology in the workplace

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Erasmus praised folly and the Romantics waxed poetically about love, but no one until now has traced the history and impact of insincerity on society and the humanities. Insincerity arises when someone feels one way but acts another and an insincere situation looks to have one purpose but really hides another. Insincerity finds expression in four types of relationships: 1. From authority to the subordinate, 2. From the subordinate to authority, 3. Between equals 4. In society and in the self. Educators can discover how highlight insincerity in literature, history, psychology, sociology, politics, and popular culture. All readers can learn how to identify insincerity in their everyday relationships. Was that meeting at work really about conveying information and soliciting responses, or was it really about reinforcing the corporate hierarchy? When Galileo apologized to the Inquisition for positing a “solar” system, did he bring an end to an era of great religious sincerity? What did George Orwell get so wrong about insincerity in 1984? Most importantly, readers can find out what they should do when they you encounter that modern phrase that manifests insincerity: Thanks so much for your feedback.

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God is invisible. That’s a problem. It was a problem in ancient Egypt and it’s still a problem today. In a world where people tend to worship what they can see and feel and taste and touch, an invisible God is all too easy to ignore. That’s why we need Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy to show us God’s glorious master plan to be seen through his People. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

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This book presents a comprehensive discussion of sociocultural perspectives on graduate employability and workplace-based learning development. It draws on Vygotsky’s theories such as situated learning and sociocultural perspectives, as well as the constructivist learning theory. This book showcases theoretical and empirical analyses that show how institutions, decision-makers or academics can work together to enhance job employability in this age of uncertainty. It discusses issues such as the development of emerging and employability skills, examines research in higher education and workplace-based learning development, and proposes directions for the changing nature in real-world settings. This book details empirical research in the field using quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches, and summarizes the key conclusions pertaining to graduate employability skills as well as workplace learning culture and technology-mediated environment. It includes contributions from experienced international scholars, and offers detailed insights for readers who want a timely understanding of research trends in graduate employability and workplace-based learning development.

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This book addresses the challenges companies face when different customer value propositions require them to pursue a differentiated supply chain strategy. It provides practical insights on how to achieve successful supply chain segmentation and presents the benefits this can yield for companies on the basis of best-in-class industry case studies from Gardena, Philips Luminaire, Siemens Healthcare and Volvo Construction Equipment. Drawing on these examples, it provides recommendations and solutions on how to define supply chain segmentation, and how to set up and implement a transformation program. Furthermore, it presents an in-depth discussion of the current theoretical background of supply chain segmentation and introduces the current trends and available frameworks. Offering readers specific, pragmatic guidance on the main challenges and opportunities and proposing ways to effectively measure efficiency and performance, the book concludes with the do’s, don’ts and most important aspects to keep in mind when considering an end-to-end segmentation.

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The Wisdom of Compassion offers rare insights into the Dalai Lama’s life as he interacts with remarkable people from all walks of life. In these deeply engaging behind-the-scenes stories we see not only the Dalai Lama at his most human, and most humane, but also the way he approaches the world with humour and optimism. As he empathizes with those who are suffering, and demonstrates the tangible benefits of practising forgiveness and compassion, the Dalai Lama reveals the many lessons he has learned, including how* his collaborations with leading neuroscientists, psychologists, teachers and students from around the world have taught him how to educate the heart; * his inspiring friendship with a blind Irishman, the only person he calls his hero, has taught him how one can overcome adversity; * through his encounters with illiterate grandmothers learning how to harness solar power for their communities, a beggar girl, and his soulmate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he has discovered how compassion can be translated into action. Enhanced by the Dalai Lama’s seven decades of practice and illuminated through captivating anecdotes, The Wisdom of Compassion can help readers to lead more fulfilling lives. The Dalai Lama also shows how, when we open our hearts and minds to others, we are on the surest path to true happiness.

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Most organizations spend much of their effort on the start of the value creation process: namely, creating a strategy, developing new products or services, and analyzing the market. They pay a lot less attention to the end: the crucial "last mile" where consumers come to their website, store, or sales representatives and make a choice. In The Last Mile, Dilip Soman shows how to use insights from behavioral science in order to close that gap. Beginning with an introduction to the last mile problem and the concept of choice architecture, the book takes a deep dive into the psychology of choice, money, and time. It explains how to construct behavioral experiments and understand the data on preferences that they provide. Finally, it provides a range of practical tools with which to overcome common last mile difficulties. The Last Mile helps lay readers not only to understand behavioral science, but to apply its lessons to their own organizations' last mile problems, whether they work in business, government, or the nonprofit sector. Appealing to anyone who was fascinated by Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein's Nudge, or Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow but was not sure how those insights could be practically applied, The Last Mile is full of solid, concrete advice on how to put the lessons of behavioral science to work.

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The Judean community at Elephantine has long fascinated historians of the Persian period. This book, with its stellar assemblage of important scholarly voices, provides substantive new insights and approaches that will advance the study of this well-known but not entirely understood community from fifth-century BCE Egypt. Since Bezalel Porten’s pioneering Archives from Elephantine, published in 1968, the discourse on the subject of the community of Elephantine during the Persian period has changed considerably, due to new data from excavations, the discovery and publication of previously unknown texts, and original scholarly insights and avenues of inquiry. Running the gamut from archaeological to linguistic investigations and encompassing legal, literary, religious, and other aspects of life in this Judean community, this volume stands at a crossroads of research that extends from Hebrew Bible studies to the history of early Jewish communities. It also features fourteen new Aramaic ostraca from Aswan. The volume will appeal to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible and ancient Judaism, as well as to a wider audience of Egyptologists, Semitists, and specialists in ancient Near Eastern studies. In addition to the editor, the contributors to this volume include Annalisa Azzoni, Bob Becking, Alejandro F. Botta, Lester L. Grabbe, Ingo Kottsieper, Reinhard G. Kratz, André Lemaire, Hélène Nutkowicz, Beatrice von Pilgrim, Cornelius von Pilgrim, Bezalel Porten, Ada Yardeni, and Ran Zadok. Moreover, a video recording of an interview conducted with Porten on his long career in Elephantine studies accompanies the book through a link on the Eisenbrauns website.

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Nature-based Tourism and Conservation unearths new or neglected principles relevant to tourism and recreational economics, environmental valuation and economic theory. Its three parts have chapters on nature-based tourism and its relationships to conservation including case studies dealing with the consequences of World Heritage listing of natural sites, Antarctic, subtropical and tropical national park-based tourism and an NGO's conservation efforts modeled on ecotourism. The final part focuses on tourism utilizing particular wildlife, including sea turtles, whales, penguins, royal albatross, glow-worms and tree kangaroos.

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'Reimagining Business Education’ discusses the rationale for, and design of, the first Business Education Jam. It reviews key challenges facing business education and articulates a vision for how the role and delivery of business education could be reimagined. This book is critically important during a time when business schools, as an industry, struggle to identify the innovations necessary to meet the needs of a changing world. The Jam was the first open platform for dialogue of its kind for business education and continues to make an impact - including use by Schools and Deans around the world to guide strategic planning efforts; program directors as they drive innovation in their programs; and industry executives as they identify ways to better engage with business education. This book takes this collaborative effort a step further to break down traditional models and structures as we seek to reimagine the future of business education in a more open and connected world.

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The Challenge of Remaining Innovative explores innovation as a complex phenomenon that may be organizational as well as technological, that operates both within firms and across the broader economy, and that involves matters not only of research and development, but also of marketing, design, and government relations. The contributors explore two main themes: the challenge of remaining innovative and the necessity of managing institutional boundaries in doing so. The collection is organized into four parts, which move outward from individual firms; to networks or clusters of firms; to consultants and other intermediaries in the private economy who operate outside of the firms themselves; and finally to government institutions and politics. This scheme delineates a variety of ways in which entrepreneurship has persisted across the 20th century—and accentuates how ongoing organizational re-arrangement has contributed mightily to its sustained vitality.

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The papers in this CSIS compendium were written by the nine members of the 2019 TUPP delegation. Each participant was asked to reflect on their in-country experience and produce a short article analyzing a policy issue related to Taiwan. These papers are a testament to the powerful impact that follows first-hand exposure to Taiwan.

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When you learn to listen to your Spirit instead of your Ego, you will live— without a doubt—a richer and more meaningful life. Have you ever been faced with a decision when your head says one thing and your heart says another? For example, you want to make a career change; your head tells you to follow the path of security, but your heart tells you to follow your passion. Or you are locked in a personal relationship conflict and your head says you are right, but your heart tells you to forgive and let go. Fran Hewitt calls these two conflicting influences the Ego and the Spirit. The Ego is that controlling voice of your mind that drives you to seek safety, perfection, and the approval of others—it will keep you captive. In contrast, the voice of your Spirit is that reassuring voice that insists, urges, and shows you the way to love. It’s the voice of your heart—a call to live life without fear. . The Ego and the Spirit is a genuinely life-changing book—not about religion or philosophy—it is about living fully, loving freely, and letting go. It is about how to live—without a doubt—a richer and more meaningful life

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The leading authorities in the field produced this comprehensive resource, which provides strategies and methods for fostering Transformative Learning (TL) practice in a wide variety of higher and adult education settings. The book answers relevant questions such as: What are effective practices for promoting TL in the classroom? What is it about TL that is most helpful in informing practice? How does the teaching setting shape the practice of TL? What are the successes, strengths, and outcomes of fostering TL? What are the risks and challenges when practicing TL in the classroom?

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Millennials make up 25% of Asians. As this huge demographic surges towards becoming a substantial contributor to Asia’s workforce, organisations continue to face engagement and retention challenges due to multi-generational workplace conflicts. Mentoring research in Western nations has consistently shown that mentoring brings tangible benefits to the organisation in the areas of job satisfaction, organisational commitment and employee retention, but would such observations apply to an Asian context? Taking Singapore as a point of reference, Mentoring Millennials in an Asian Context tackles this question head-on. It addresses both how millennials in Singapore perceive their mentors and how mentors can become better equipped for their mentoring. It identifies, analyses and offers solutions to existing problems such as inconsistent methods, a lack of mentoring knowledge and an urgent need to evolve with the times. For its 21st-century, region-specific approach, this book is an insightful read for HR academics and researchers, as well as C-Suite decision makers, senior managers and talent management coaches who wish to shape onboarding and mentoring policies for better engagement, retention and recruitment in preparation for the post-millennial generation in Asia.

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In Constitutional Culture, Independence, and Rights, Javier García Oliva and Helen Hall coin the term "constitutional culture" to encapsulate the collective rules and expectations that govern the collective life within a jurisdiction. Significantly, these shared norms have both legal and social elements, including matters as diverse as standards of parenting, the modus operandi of police officers, and taboos around sexuality. Using Quebec, Scotland, and Catalonia as case studies, the book delves into what these constitutional battles mean for the rights, identity, and needs of everyday people, and it powerfully demonstrates why the hypothetical future independence of these regions would have far-reaching practical consequences, beyond the realm of political structures and academic theory. The book does not present a magic bullet to resolve debates around independence – this is not its purpose, and the text in fact demonstrates why there is no objectively optimal approach in any or all contexts. Instead, it seeks to shed light on aspects of these situations often overlooked in discussions around the fate of nations, and it addresses what the consequences of constitutional paradigm shifts might be for individuals. Constitutional culture is a complex web of interconnected understandings and behaviours, and the vibrations from shaking or cutting a fundamental strand will be felt throughout the structure.

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Situated south of the Dead Sea, near the famous Nabatean capital of Petra, the Faynan region in Jordan contains the largest deposits of copper ore in the southern Levant. The Edom Lowlands Regional Archaeology Project (ELRAP) takes an anthropological-archaeology approach to the deep-time study of culture change in one of the Old World’s most important locales for studying technological development. Using innovative digital tools for data recording, curation, analyses, and dissemination, the researchers focused on ancient mining and metallurgy as the subject of surveys and excavations related to the Iron Age (ca. 1200–500 BCE), when the first local, historical state-level societies appeared in this part of the eastern Mediterranean basin. This comprehensive and important volume challenges the current scholarly consensus concerning the emergence and historicity of the Iron Age polity of biblical Edom and some of its neighbors, such as ancient Israel. Excavations and radiometric dating establish a new chronology for Edom, adding almost 500 more years to the Iron Age, including key periods of biblical history when David, Solomon, and the Egyptian pharaoh Shoshenq I are alleged to have interacted with Edom. Included is a 7 gigabyte DVD with over 55,000 files of additional data and photographs from the project.

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Learn to write SQL queries to select and analyze data, and improve your ability to manipulate data. This book will help you take your existing skills to the next level. Author Mark Simon kicks things off with a quick review of basic SQL knowledge, followed by a demonstration of how efficient SQL databases are designed and how to extract just the right data from them. You’ll then learn about each individual table’s structure and how to work with the relationships between tables. As you progress through the book, you will learn more sophisticated techniques such as using common table expressions and subqueries, analyzing your data using aggregate and windowing functions, and how to save queries in the form of views and other methods. This book employs an accessible approach to work through a realistic sample, enabling you to learn concepts as they arise to improve parts of the database or to work with the data itself. After completing this book, you will have a more thorough understanding of database structure and how to use advanced techniques to extract, manage, and analyze data. What Will You Learn Gain a stronger understanding of database design principles, especially individual tables Understand the relationships between tables Utilize techniques such as views, subqueries, common table expressions, and windowing functions Who Is This Book For: SQL Databases users who want to improve their knowledge and techniques.

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Offers a fresh perspective on how conversation analysis can be used to highlight the sophisticated nature of what children actually do when interacting with their peers, parents, and other adults. Brings together a contributor team of leading experts in the emerging field of child-focused conversation analytic studies, from both academic and professional research backgrounds Includes examples of typically developing children and those who face a variety of challenges to participation, as they interact with parents and friends, teachers, counsellors and health professionals Encompasses linguistic, psychological and sociological perspectives Offers new insights into children’s communication as they move from home into wider society, highlighting how this is expressed in different cultural contexts

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Sibylle Mania's Insights into 19 Ateliers are more than just a chronicle of studios and workshops - they are windows into the world of creative processes. Yet in these analog black- and-white photographs, the artists themselves remain hidden. Within the intimate interiors, secretive chaos merges with productive efficiency. It is this interplay that fully draws the viewer into the world of painters, sculptors, ceramicists, photographers, metalworkers, and graphic artists. Sibylle Mania takes a step back as photographer and, in her meticulously selected details of the untouched workshops, leaves us with the impression of being immersed in a place where inspiration can turn into creation at any moment. Text in English and German.

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Coaching is one of the most sought-after leadership skills - vital for anyone who wants to develop a team of people who will perform effectively, but are also motivated and relish working together. It's also a dynamic discipline which, in recent years, has developed and grown to embrace theory and practice from a wide range of other disciplines, frameworks and models. Mastering Coaching starts by asking what skills an effective coach must now possess to boost the performance of their coachees. In response, it summarises the most important research in areas such as neuroscience, sports psychology and mindfulness, positive psychology, mastery and goal-setting and offers a clear, simple and practical guide to how this new thinking can help coaches and managers to develop their own coaching practice. Written by Max Landsberg, executive coaching and professional development expert and author of the perennial bestseller The Tao of Coaching, Mastering Coaching goes beyond the basics of coaching by providing insights which offer a proven route map to coaching success. Practical and jargon-free, the book will equip readers with the techniques and tools necessary to take their coaching to the next level.

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Microsoft Power BI is a data analytics and visualization tool powerful enough for the most demanding data scientists, but accessible enough for everyday use for anyone who needs to get more from data. The market has many books designed to train and equip professional data analysts to use Power BI, but few of them make this tool accessible to anyone who wants to get up to speed on their own. This streamlined intro to Power BI covers all the foundational aspects and features you need to go from "zero to hero" with data and visualizations. Whether you work with large, complex datasets or work in Microsoft Excel, author Jeremey Arnold shows you how to teach yourself Power BI and use it confidently as a regular data analysis and reporting tool. You'll learn how to: Import, manipulate, visualize, and investigate data in Power BI Approach solutions for both self-service and enterprise BI Use Power BI in your organization's business intelligence strategy Produce effective reports and dashboards Create environments for sharing reports and managing data access with your team Determine the right solution for using Power BI offerings based on size, security, and computational needs

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'My favourite thing about this book is the different perspectives on one main thing... Worship! Reading it provided much clarity on a word that is often misunderstood.' Guvna B, Rapper, Author & Broadcaster What does it mean to be a worshipper? Together, Tim Hughes and Nick Drake explore who, where, why and how Christians worship, what happens when we do and where the future of worship may take us. With contributions from Graham Kendrick, Lou Fellingham, Kees Kraayenoord, Dr Helen Morris and many more, this book offers a fresh reminder that worship isn’t just music and the songs we sing, it is so much more. The Spring Harvest 2021 theme book, Why Worship? will help you reconnect to the purpose and meaning of worship, so that you can grow closer to God individually and as a church community and get the most out of worship. Contributors Tim Hughes, Nick Drake, Dr John Andrews, Dr Helen Morris, Graham Kendrick, Lou Fellingham, Lyn Weston, Kees Kraayenoord, Noel Robinson, Doug Williams, Dr Darell Johnson.

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In line with rapid world economic growth, globalization has led to a decrease in global income inequality, according to the World Bank. However, in some contexts, income disparity continues to rise, proving that a variety of factors can determine wealth and income across different countries and regions. Social indicators in particular play a serious role in the development of such inequalities, though their impacts have previously been of little interest to economic scholars. Proposing issues that hinder equal development, Inclusive Developments through Socio-economic Indicators: New Theoretical and Empirical Insights focuses upon the roles of different socio-economic indicators in explaining the convergence or inclusiveness of income across groups of varying wealth as well as within larger economies. Employing both theoretical and empirical thinking from across the world, contributors also provide thought-provoking solutions to pervasive social, global and economic issues, including sustainable development. Beneficial for researchers, economists and policy makers, Inclusive Developments through Socio-economic Indicators: New Theoretical and Empirical Insights encapsulates the roles of different socio-economic indicators in justifying the convergence of income and wealth at a global level.

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The investment alternatives offered by mutual funds have had a significant effect on the savings patterns of many countries. Industry research has primarily focused on the funds themselves rather than on their management companies, but like other financial institutions, these companies, also known as mutual fund families, have experienced great periods of both expansion and contraction. It is important to address the efficiency of these institutions, as well. Carlos Sánchez González fills this gap in our knowledge with this empirical study. He develops an innovative model that considers the management stages of mutual fund companies, overcoming the traditional dispute between the different approaches used in banking and insurance research. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate efficiency levels, Sánchez González investigates the Spanish case, one of the most relevant industries in the Euro market, in order to provide insights into issues that have never been explored before. His study consists of two parts. The first explains the basic concepts, offers a brief explanation of the basic DEA models, and gives a review of the most important applications to financial institutions, all while developing a unique set of industry-specific variables in order to show how to apply the original slacks-based measure (SBM) approach. The second reviews the major concepts of SBM variations and shows how they can be applied to the Spanish mutual fund family industry in order to obtain unprecedentedly accurate empirical measures of its efficiency. This ground-breaking work offers much food for thought to academic researchers and postgraduate students of management, finance, and marketing.

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How would a restaurant reviewer critique an essay? How would a martial arts master facilitate language practice? How would a bartender create a supportive environment for learning? And how would a social activist promote critical thinking in the classroom? Answers to these questions and more can be found in chapters that offer practical tips from language teachers with extensive experience in other fields. It is a book full of surprises that translate into new ways of thinking about teaching and the classroom.

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To find more information on Rowman & Littlefield titles, please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

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This book offers a conceptual framework for working with men­—the Deepening framework—along with practical guidance for conducting group therapy with men. In Deepening group psychotherapy, men discover their hopes, fears, losses, frustrations, and traumas, aided by a clinician who uses attentiveness to language and the therapeutic relationship to engage and intervene. Traditional therapy, with its emphasis on vulnerable face‑to‑face sharing, presents challenges for men socialized to keep their emotional lives private. This book helps clinicians find ways to break down the barriers that keep many men from seeking help, and shows them how to explore men’s inner psychological workings. Through detailed therapy dialogues that illustrate moment‑to‑moment and session‑to‑session interventions, readers will learn how to connect with men in group settings around issues such as relationships, fear of being dependent on others, grief and loss, sexual identity, pain, illness, and addiction.

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