Competence encompasses or overlaps with notions of efficiency, success, accountability, excellence and self-justification. This collection explores ways in which individuals, teams or groups in organizations discursively present themselves as competent to perform tasks or functions, possibly at a superior level.

Charming, charismatic, and delightful or manipulative, self-serving, and cunning? Psychopaths are both and that's exactly what makes them dangerous. Bestselling author of the international phenomenon Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson reveals how to identify the psychopaths in your life and combat their efforts to control and manipulate.

Using the same simple four-color system of behavior classification that made Surrounded by Idiots so popular, Surrounded by Psychopaths teaches readers how to deal with psychopaths in their lives by becoming aware of their own behavior and their weaknesses. Vivid example stories illustrate ways that psychopaths can take advantage of various behavior types, helping readers identify their own weaknesses and be proactive about protecting themselves. Erikson outlines some of the most common forms of manipulation used by psychopaths--and others--to influence those around them. Since manipulation can often be a feature of ordinary, non-psychopathic relationships, the book also includes practical methods and techniques to help readers confront controlling people and rehabilitate negative relationships into mutually respectful ones.

By understanding your behavior as well as the tendencies and strategies of psychopaths, Surrounded by Psychopaths will teach you to protect yourself from manipulative influence in your workplace, social life, and family.

The telecommunications industry is experiencing a worldwide explosion of growth as few other industries ever have. However, as recently as a decade ago, the bulk of telecommunications services were delivered by the traditional telephone network, for which design and analysis principles had been under steady development for over three-quarters of a century. This environment was characterized by moderate and steady growth, with an accompanying slower development of new network equipment and standardization processes. In such a near-static environment, attention was given to optimization techniques to squeeze out better profits from existing and limited future investments. To this end, forecasts of network services were developed on a regular planning cycle and networks were optimized accordingly, layer by layer, for cost-effective placement of capacity and efficient utilization. In particular, optimization was based on a fairly stable set of assumptions about the network architecture, equipment models, and forecast uncertainty. This special edition is devoted to heuristic approaches for telecommunications network management, planning, and expansion. We hope that this collection brings to the attention of researchers and practitioners an array of techniques and case studies that meet the stringent time to market' requirements of this industry and which deserve exposure to a wider audience. Telecommunications will face a tremendous challenge in the coming years to be able to design, build, and manage networks in such a rapidly evolving industry. Development and application of heuristic methods will be fundamental in our ability to meet this challenge.

Telecommunications - central to our daily lives - continues to change dramatically. These changes are the result of technological advances, deregulation, the proliferation of broadband service offers, and the spectacular popularity of the Internet and wireless services. In such adynamic technological and economic environment, competition is increasing among service providers and among equipment manufacturers. Consequently, optimization of the planning process is becoming essential. Although telecommunications network planning has been tackled by the Operations Research community for some time, many fundamental problems remain challenging. Through its fourteen chapters, this book covers some new and some still challenging older problems which arise in the planning of telecommunication networks. Telecommunications Network Planning will benefit both telecommunications practitioners looking for efficient methods to solve their problems and operations researchers interested in telecommunications. The book examines network design and dimensioning problems; it explores Operation Research issues related to a new standard Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM); it overviews problems that arise when designing survivable SDH/SONET Networks; it considers some broadband network problems; and it concludes with three chapters on wireless and mobile networks. Leading area researchers have contributed their recent research on the telecommunications and network topics treated in the volume.

Communication creates organizations, and the ways individuals communicate determines the functions and processes of organizations. Understanding communication challenges is necessary in order to understand organizational successes and organizational change. Transformative Practice and Research in Organizational Communication is an essential reference publication featuring the latest scholarly research on the practice of organizational communication. The chapters cover a range of topics such as business expertise, social media, and capitalism. This book is ideally designed for academicians, students, professionals, and managers seeking current research on organizational communication practices.

This title takes an international perspective on the topical issues of marketing ethics and ethical communications. The contributors are professors of business in various European institutions who bring their international background and experience to this body of work.

Remarkable is more than just a word. It's a vision. It's the art to create meaningful impact to prospects and customers. Being remarkable is something that I believe every company can achieve. The Remarkable Effect was written to help tech-entrepreneurs-on-a-mission shape the software business they've always aspired to run: Remarkable and Impactful. In The Remarkable Effect Ton Dobbe reveals the ten traits that define a remarkable software company. Stacking them up behind each other will not only help you stand out in your category, but also create clear leverage of value; exponential value, not just incremental - hence 'The Remarkable Effect.' It might be, however, you aren't the CEO (yet!) and are still selling products day to day with prospects, or maybe you are at the strategic helm of your company looking for solutions to uniquely position the value you have to offer, or potentially you are looking for fresh product strategy perspectives to keep you stay one step ahead. If your goal is to further the business you own, run or work for, this book for you. It is not about processes and procedures - the 80% under the water. This book is about the 20% that will separate you from the rest. The ideas and strategies in this book have been proven to be highly effective for start-ups, underdogs, established market leaders (who are often in danger of losing their edge), small companies, large companies and everything in between. There's an art and a science to being remarkable, and it hasn't got anything to do with where you are on your journey. So, are you ready to take the journey to unleash the remarkable effect inside your software business?

Pleasure, wrote Oscar Wilde, is the only thing worth having a theory about. In Pleasure in the Eighteenth Century, Roy Porter and Marie Mulvey Roberts question the idea of pleasure as unmediated, natural experience. To what extent was pleasure stage-managed to make it socially, morally, and politically acceptable?

Taking its cue from Michel Foucault, this volume represents a stunning example of the pleasures of analysis, a place where discourse about pleasure is a pleasure in its own right. From cross-dressing to feasting, music to charity work, the essays in this volume probe the foundations of eighteenth-century society while entertaining the reader vicariously with their tales of vanished delights.

Business, Economics and Legal scholars have all argued about the theoretical importance of annual general meetings in assessing business shareholder relations and wider issues of corporate governance, but often without knowing how the AGM functions in practice. Anne Lafarre combines wide ranging empirical legal and economic research to analyse and understand the real role of the AGM in the European businesses and corporate governance frameworks today. Focusing on seven European member states (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK) the author persuasively explores how the impact of legal rulings and business pressures effects shareholder representation in European AGMs and their propensity to affect change through these forums. Drawing wide ranging data sets to challenge existing economic and legal theory, the author presents practical conclusions and future policy implications.

Meetings take a significant part of communication in business. It can make or break the business. Yet executives and professionals assume that they have the skills or they can learn through experience. However many of them experience aimless time consuming meetings draining the productivity. This book with extensive research provides the solution. This book considers meeting as a process and recommends achievement of effective, efficient and energetic meetings through system, strategy and synergy. It blends conventional productivity tools with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). NLP teaches how to use the language of the mind to consistently achieve specific and desired results. It means a study of excellence. NLP gives tools for communication, rapport, outcome definition and many more. Using simple language and not requiring any prerequisite in NLP, this book is a practical guide of how we can use NLP in day-to-day life through meetings. This book derives analogy with sport - effectiveness of an archer to aim at a good decision, efficiency of a sprinter to achieve maximum out of time and energy of a weightlifter to lift action items to the level of achievement. Armed with this book, you can achieve effectiveness, efficiency and energy in meetings.

How engaging technology and relationships can help you stand out, attract business and achieve a more dynamic professional life

The technological landscape has reshaped the way white collar workers cultivate and promote their businesses. The Transformation of Professional Services is an engaging look at how licensed experts are adapting to today's dynamic economic environment.

From Ari Kaplan--a recognized advisor on business and career development-- "Reinventing Professional Services: Building Your Business in the Digital Marketplace"offers insights on taking advantage of enterprising techniques to stand out and position one's self as an insightful chameleon rather than as an isolated purveyor of facts and figures.Details the importance of offering resources instead of simply sellingReveals strategies for increasing one's searchability and distinguishing one's self in an economic downturn or recoveryOffers advice readers can immediately use to strengthen client relationships

Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this book provides engaging guidance for anyone in the professional services field--from business consultants, financial advisers, and lawyers to accountants, real estate brokers, and appraisers.

"As Sanow and Lescault delve further into the heart of what makes a presentation great, they provide insight, inspiration, and a toolkit of expert advice."
-Stephen M. R. Covey, author of "The Speed of Trust"

If you think the only ones who need to concentrate on presentation skills are professional speakers, it's time to reevaluate your perspective.

Whether or not you are trying to speak in front of an audience, close a sale, or ace a job interview, you need to forge connections that last. This starts with presenting yourself as intelligent, successful, and likable.

Written by two expert public speakers, this guidebook delivers
proven tips, tools, and strategies to get your message across in a lively manner; fifteen ways to keep your audience awake and energized; guides to using humor, stories, and anecdotes to make your talk more interesting; twelve ways to instantly improve your slideshow presentations; many more proven techniques to increase audience engagement.

Whether you are speaking at a conference, staff meeting, or interview, you need a roadmap to come across as a winner. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you will be ready to master any presenta-tion situation. Learn how to "Present with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz "

As Others See Us, first published in 1994 by Gordon & Breach, is a book designed to introduce the reader to a new way of thinking about the movements, both conscious and unconscious, that we make every day and every second of our lives. Goldman describes the human experience as a continuous stream of body movements, though we are only aware of a small fraction of the more obvious and intrusive physical acts. The aim of this book is first to increase awareness of the subtleties and complexities of our body language, and then to encourage the reader to perceive these intricacies in their own movements and in those of others. Finally, with a more complete understanding and appreciation for the power of body language and non-verbal communication, one can achieve a deeper connection between physical and intellectual spheres, to allow for a fuller and more engaging experience of communication and expression. This new knowledge of the human body's movements not only permits one to more accurately perceive the emotions and thoughts of others, but can allow a glimpse into one's own mind, to see how we present ourselves to the world, and whether our thoughts are in sync with our actions.
Central to the text is the author's treatment of the Integrated Movement, a term used to describe the merger of a posture and a gesture with a consistent quality, dynamic or shape. This approach to understanding and explaining human movement offers a unique way of thinking about conscious gesture, unconscious body language, and verbal speech as interconnected communication, a synthesis that allows for a more complete view of ourselves and others around us. The structure of the book follows a logical framework that mirrors the progress of the reader, from perception of movement, to the close inspection of gesture and body language, to the introduction and experience of Integrated Movement, to the application of one's new awareness to different aspects of life. Biographical sketches of leading figures in the field are included, as are suggestions for additional reading and resources. Perhaps the most unique features of the book are the personal exercises (boxed-off text) that appear on almost every other page. These exercises are designed to allow the reader to experience the power of body language in real life situations, while working towards the increased awareness and perception that is the goal of the book.

Changes in the global economy bring new dynamics, concepts, and implications that require digitalization and adaptation. The new "normal" has changed, and companies must adopt such strategies if they want to survive in the ever-changing business environments. Business Management and Communication Perspectives in Industry 4.0 is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the planning, implementing, and evaluating of strategies for the new industry standards. While highlighting topics such as artificial intelligence, digital leadership, and management science, this publication theorizes about tomorrow's business and communication environments based on the past and present of the concepts. This book is ideally designed for managers, researchers, educators, students, professionals, and policymakers seeking current research on blending managerial and communicational concepts with a multidisciplinary approach.

Raising a ladder to the moon' is a metaphor that was used to describe the immensity of the task of laying the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable at the end of the nineteenth century. It is used in this book to illuminate the challenges and opportunities that are inherent in the development of corporations as socially and environmentally responsible 'citizens' at the beginning of the twenty-first century. With reference to companies such as Macdonald's, Deutsche Bank, Coca-Cola, Royal Dutch / Shell, BP, Wal-Mart, and Unilever, Raising a Ladder to the Moon argues that in order to re-engage with the world, and solve some of the problems created by globalisation, we must re-see it. We must now see it in the light of its complexities. We have succeeded in creating social systems that create and destroy, that bind us together in common purpose and that set us against each other. Our corporations stand as monuments to our success at building social structures, but they are neither people nor machines. They are alive. They are complex, adaptive systems that can take on a life of their own. We need to embrace that complexity.

Marketing Communications acknowledges that the most important task faced by any marketing communications practitioner is to identify and select an optimum promotions mix to help achieve an organisation's business objectives. It notes that the design and development of marketing communications campaigns takes place against a backdrop of change, choice, chance and worldwide connections. It also recognises that to achieve success, brands need to be engaging, compelling to achieve stand-out amongst competition. Marketing Communications discusses issues such as: * Understanding communications by exploring the past, present and examining the future; * Planning, development and evaluation of marketing communication campaigns; * Designing a more creative approach to stand-out relative to competing brands; * Exploring case study exemplars to reflect and gain insight for future campaigns. To help support their learning, readers have access to a range of online resources including chapter-by-chapter multiple choice questions which will enable them to assess how well they have grasped individual chapters. The text also features a range of supplementary readings, in text exercises and cases/examples to help bring concepts to life. Part of the The Global Management Series; a complete portfolio of global business and management texts that successfully meets the needs of students on international undergraduate and postgraduate business and management degree courses. Each book is a clear, concise and practical and has a thorough pedagogic structure to suit a 12 week semester. The series offers a flexible 'pick and mix' choice of downloadable e-chapters, so that users can select and build learning materials tailored to their specific needs. See www.goodfellowpublishers.com/GMS for details. Each book in the series is edited and contributed to by a team of experienced academics based in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia it provides an essential learning aid for students across a wide range of business and management courses and an invaluable teaching tool for lecturers and academics. Series Editors: Robert MacIntosh, Professor of Strategy and Kevin O'Gorman, Professor of Management, both at Heriot-Watt University, UK