This book examines emerging theories, frameworks, and applications of global marketing for the 21st century. It highlights how global marketing is changing in a globalized and digital economy that is fast increasing in complexity and uncertainty. The traditional approach to global marketing is no longer sufficient to address the emerging issues in global markets. Global companies need to challenge traditional assumptions in global marketing in an era of shifting political, cultural, economic, and technological changes. They need to take a fresh look at the contemporary threats and opportunities in markets, institutions, and technology and how they affect entry and expansion strategies through careful re-calibration of the marketing-mix. This book offers new insights for global marketing that addresses these issues. This book should be an ideal resource to both academic scholars and reflective practitioners globally such as CEOs and chief marketing officers as well as government officials and policy makers interested in formulating strategies/policies for global marketing activities in the face of a globalized and digitized economy. This well-crafted research volume is an excellent addition to the growing literature on new trends in international marketing. The authors present the latest insight on the impact of phenomena such as cross-border e-commerce and digital markets, and they discuss new tools for political risk assessment, international branding and more broadly the reconfiguring of marketing-mix strategies - A powerful reminder that the new global market remains a rugged landscape. - Alain Verbeke, McCaig Research Chair in Management and Editor-in-Chief Journal of International Business Studies, University of Calgary, Canada. Emerging trends in institutions, markets, and societies, along with new technological advances, are redefining the scope and strategy in global marketing. Professors Agarwal and Wu have assembled a remarkable collection of cutting-edge topics and issues that capture the shifting paradigm and contemporary developments in the global marketing field. This is an informative and timely resource that makes a valuable contribution, useful for both scholars and business practitioners of global marketing. - Constantine S. Katsikeas, Arnold Ziff Endowed Research Chair in Marketing & International Management, Editor-in-Chief Journal of International Marketing, University of Leeds, UK. This book presents new and cutting-edge thinking at a time when the traditional views of international marketing need to be scrapped. Convergence forces are creating new opportunities as well as threats on a daily basis, and marketing practitioners as well as scholars must be forewarned as well as forearmed on how to deal with these changes. The real growth is coming from the emerging nations, and the theories that provided sufficient insights ten years ago have been completely outmoded by the ever-accelerating rate of innovation and technological change as well as the pressures to address the needs of all of the firm's relevant stakeholders. The strategic insights provided here are absolutely invaluable. Don't miss an opportunity to read this book!! - John B. Ford, Professor of Marketing & International Business, Eminent Scholar & Haislip-Rohrer Fellow, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Advertising Research, Old Dominion University, USA.

Social entrepreneurs are change makers that aim to solve society's unsolved problems. Not surprisingly, social entrepreneurship has thus created high expectations. To better understand the potential as well as the limitations of social entrepreneurship, however, a more nuanced approach is needed in two ways. First, social entrepreneurship is a multi-level phenomenon. It spans macro-level questions as well as meso-level questions and, finally, micro-level questions. If we really want to understand social entrepreneurship, we need to bring together all three levels of analysis and see how they are connected. Second, while social entrepreneurship can certainly produce socially desirable outcomes, we also need a critical perspective to capture potential undesirable effects that social entrepreneurship can cause, often unintendedly, in society, in markets, in organizations, and for individuals. To this end, an ethical perspective can help complement the positive analysis of social entrepreneurship with a discussion of the normative implications of its potential "dark side". Looking at social entrepreneurship from both a multi-level analysis and an ethical perspective, Social Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics takes the reader on a journey through the "bright side" as well as the potential "dark side" of social entrepreneurship for societies, organizations, and individuals. Highlighting both, this book not only seeks to provoke researchers and students to advance their understanding of social entrepreneurship. It also hopes to help practitioners to better realize the positive contributions of social entrepreneurship for society.

After more than 30 years of reformations in agriculture, manufacturing and trade and industry, China's economy has grown to become the second largest in the world. This book examines the contributions of dynamic entrepreneurs to the economic development of mainland China and Hong Kong - an analysis that is largely lacking in existing studies China's economic stronghold. This book adopts theories of entrepreneurship and market processes as major analytical frameworks to conclude that entrepreneurship is the true engine of growth in mainland China and Hong Kong. Chinese Entrepreneurship focuses on the knowledge drivers and systemic challenges of these businesses to examine how entrepreneurs under uncertainty identify and pursue profit opportunities, and how their efforts have enhanced China's economic dynamics. This book offers vital insight to students, teachers and researchers of Chinese business and economics, along with Chinese culture and expanding economies.

The need for information privacy and security continues to grow and gets increasingly recognized. In this regard, Privacy-preserving Attribute-based Credentials (Privacy-ABCs) are elegant techniques to provide secure yet privacy-respecting access control. This book addresses the federation and interchangeability of Privacy-ABC technologies. It defines a common, unified architecture for Privacy-ABC systems that allows their respective features to be compared and combined Further, this book presents open reference implementations of selected Privacy-ABC systems and explains how to deploy them in actual production pilots, allowing provably accredited members of restricted communities to provide anonymous feedback on their community or its members. To date, credentials such as digitally signed pieces of personal information or other information used to authenticate or identify a user have not been designed to respect the users' privacy. They inevitably reveal the identity of the holder even though the application at hand often needs much less information, e.g. only the confirmation that the holder is a teenager or is eligible for social benefits. In contrast, Privacy-ABCs allow their holders to reveal only their minimal information required by the applications, without giving away their full identity information. Privacy-ABCs thus facilitate the implementation of a trustworthy and at the same time privacy-respecting digital society. The ABC4Trust project as a multidisciplinary and European project, gives a technological response to questions linked to data protection. Viviane Reding (Former Vice-president of the European Commission, Member of European Parliament)

Explaining how going green can pay for itself, Green Computing: Tools and Techniques for Saving Energy, Money, and Resources ties the green agenda in IT to the broader corporate agenda in risk management, brand management, and reputation management. Written by a leading author in the IT field, this authoritative reference provides easy access to quotable budget justifications that readers can use to place IT stakeholders on the same page for this new agenda that can save valuable resources and the planet. Bringing together everything IT professionals need to know about green computing, the book embodies a new philosophy on how to deploy IT devices, software, and services in a way that makes people more effective with fewer resources. It presents helpful tips on how to maximize energy savings as well as how to present information gradually to allow peers and stakeholders to absorb it. The book's comprehensive coverage includes various types of hardware and software, including the changes currently happening, underlying trends, products currently on the market, and what to expect-or, in some cases, what organizations should ask for-from suppliers in the future. On the hardware side, the book considers tablet computers-examining the iPad (R) and Android (R)-based tablets. On the software side, it examines the general trend toward cloud computing. It provides important examples of this rapidly emerging trend as well as guidance on how to use the cloud to make software available and to store large amounts of data. Demonstrating the savings and increased business resiliency that can result from green computing, this book offers C-suite executives, senior IT management, project managers, suppliers, and market analysts with the tools required to understand why you need to act, how to act, what to buy, when to do it, and who should act.

Social Innovation: Comparative Perspectives investigates socio-economic impact. Since it is hard to establish causality and to measure social properties when investigating impact, especially at the level of society, the book narrows down impact to one priority aspect: social innovation - understood as organizations' capacity to generate novel ideas, ways and means of doing things, of addressing public and social problems of many kinds. This volume's primary assertion is that the Third Sector, specifically through stimulating civic involvement, is best placed to produce social innovation, outperforming business firms and state agencies in this regard. By investigating actor contributions to social innovation across seven fields of activity, Social innovation: Comparative Perspectives develops our understanding of why and how the Third Sector is central to functioning, cohesive and viable societies. This volume is based on contributions of the project "ITSSOIN - Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation" funded by the European Commission under the 7th framework programme. It will be of insight across disciplines, in particular to the growing social innovation community, innovation researchers more generally and to non-profit scholars. The practical relevance of the book will be of interest to European and national policy makers and practitioners across different sectors.

The knowledge economy is a notion that has been used, since the end of the last decade, to describe a new economic order perceived by scholars and practitioners. The authors argue that this order, triggered by new information and communication technologies, has resulted in a different set of challenges for effective management of the contemporary firm. Knowledge will play an important role in managing these challenges, with the onus being on new hardware and software as much as how businesses can be organised with regard to relationships with customers and suppliers. This book shows how 'intelligent management will be key to how internal operations can be organised in order to take advantage of opportunities brought about by new technologies. This change in management is discussed throughout the book from a wide array of perspectives ranging from contextual and philosophical aspects, through tools and methods to case studies concerning the organization of business, its management and application in the knowledge economy. Intelligent Management in the Knowledge Economy will be of great interest to academics and researchers of management - knowledge management in particular - ICT and organisational studies. Business practitioners will also find much to engage them within this book.

Originally published in 1996 The Social Role of Higher Education is an anthology of nine papers, it presents cases studies showing how culture influences the social role of higher education in various nations. It examines how environments get defined and how they shape universities, and how knowledge and academic work interact in national contexts. This book focuses on how both developed and developing countries' systems of higher education are affected by their own culture and their place within the larger global context.

Forintroductory courses in IS (information systems) and MIS (managementinformation systems). The authoritative, case-based study of IS in business today Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm provides the most comprehensive overviewof information systems used by business firms today, while drawing connectionsbetween MIS and business performance. The Laudons are known for theiroutstanding real-world case studies, which describe how well-known companiesuse IT to solve problems and achieve business objectives. Students developsought-after skills, such as leading IS-related management discussions andusing IT to meet bottom-line results. Each chapter of the 17th edition featuresall-new Interactive Sessions, new Video Cases, and a new Career Opportunitiessection building practical job-seeking skills.

This book explores the application of breakthrough technologies to improve transportation performance. Transportation systems represent the "blood vessels" of a society, in which people and goods travel. They also influence people's lives and affect the liveability and sustainability of our cities. The book shows how emergent technologies are able to monitor the condition of the structure in real time in order to schedule the right moment for maintenance activities an so reduce the disturbance to users. This book is a valuable resource for those involved in research and development in this field. Part I discusses the context of transportation systems, highlighting the major issues and challenges, the importance of understating human factors that could affect the maintenance operations and the main goals in terms of safety standards. Part II focuses on process-oriented innovations in transportation systems; this section stresses the importance of including design parameters in the planning, offering a comparison between risk-based and condition-based maintenance and, lastly, showing applications of emergent technologies. Part III goes on to reflect on the technical-oriented innovations, discussing the importance of studying the physical phenomena that are behind transportation system failures and problems. It then introduces the general trend of collecting and analyzing big data using real-world cases to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of adopting extensive smart sensors for gathering information on the health of the assets. The last part (IV) explores cultural and behavioural changes, and new knowledge management methods, proposing novel forms of maintenance and vocational training, and introduces the need for radical new visions in transportation for managing unexpected events. The continuous evolution of maintenance fields suggests that this compendium of "state-of-the-art" applications will not be the only one; the authors are planning a collection of cutting-edge examples of transportation systems that can assist researchers and practitioners as well as students in the process of understanding the complex and multidisciplinary environment of maintenance engineering applied to the transport sector.

Firm growth. This concept has interested researchers for generations. Economists have sought to predict and measure firm growth using a host of different variables, while strategic management scholars depict growth as the result of clever analyses and rational resource exploitation. Entrepreneurship scholars - ever engrossed by successful start-ups - have pondered why growth sometimes comes fast and sometimes never at all, while the field of business history has given countless examples of growing firms in a range of different settings. Yet despite research across fields, our knowledge of how growth in a firm actually comes about is limited and we still know little about the process. This book offers a new reading of economist Edith Penrose's The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. The bold statement is that although Penrose's work - across fields and generations - is amongst the most quoted on firm growth, the basic points of her work have yet to be realized and explored empirically. Essentially, growth is created by a dynamic interrelation between the firm's self-conception and its image of context. Based on these two subjective categories, the firm makes decisions and its actions lead it to develop along a particular path. To Penrose this is the basic engine that drives the growth and development of firms. This book discusses how the engine of firm growth can be captured in empirical analysis using interpretative theory and narrative methods inspired by recent streams of research in business history.

Recent decades have seen a significant transformation of the not-for-profit (NFP) sector. This includes rise in the number of organisations and people employed, shift from charities and philanthropic agencies to hybrid social enterprise business models, competing stakeholder interests and increasing expectations regarding accountability and transparency. The role of NFPs has also become more complex - they not only serve the disadvantaged and fulfil social needs but also actively advocate for and implement public policies and promote social and economic inclusion. The growth and complexity has brought with it a need for innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to leadership that stems from an in-depth understanding of the changing nonprofit landscape. Addressing this need, for Not for Profits and Social Enterprises will help readers navigate extant challenges by drawing on conceptual literature, both theoretical and empirical and emphasising practical real world experience through case studies and vignettes The key aim of this book is to help existing and future NFP leaders at all organisational levels to support their organisations and employees and in turn clients and communities, through theoretical insights and practical approaches by focusing on transformational leadership aspects for contemporary Not for Profits. for Not for Profits and Social Enterprises is key reading for researchers, academics and policy makers in the areas of Non-profit Management, Leadership, Public Sector Management and Charity Management as well as related disciplines such as Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship.

This volume provides a rigorous examination of key issues relating to employment in small businesses. These include an anlysis of the true extent of job crreation provided by small firms, the rleative quality of jobs in small firms, the growth of self-employment during the 1980s and the way in which the small firm interacts with its local labour markets. These issues are examined in an international context, wth comparative examples from the USA, the UK and Europe.

When originally published in 1986, this book was one of the first to deal solely with the urban and regional incidence and development implications of new firm formation in particular EU countries. It reviews the extent of and reasons for geographical variation in numbers of new firms, examines the nature of such firms and assesses the regional impact and policy implications in various EC countries.

Originally published in 1989, this book analyses the economic and political position of the small firm in the 1980s, and in particular the relationship between small and large firms in an advanced capitalist economy. Focusing on the printing and clothing industries, it examines the industrial relation practices in these two contrasting sectors and shows that apparent industrial relations harmony - for example, the lack of strikes - should be put down to the powerlessness of the workforce rather than to contentment.

This book takes its reader on a journey through Apache Giraph, a popular distributed graph processing platform designed to bring the power of big data processing to graph data. Designed as a step-by-step self-study guide for everyone interested in large-scale graph processing, it describes the fundamental abstractions of the system, its programming models and various techniques for using the system to process graph data at scale, including the implementation of several popular and advanced graph analytics algorithms. The book is organized as follows: Chapter 1 starts by providing a general background of the big data phenomenon and a general introduction to the Apache Giraph system, its abstraction, programming model and design architecture. Next, chapter 2 focuses on Giraph as a platform and how to use it. Based on a sample job, even more advanced topics like monitoring the Giraph application lifecycle and different methods for monitoring Giraph jobs are explained. Chapter 3 then provides an introduction to Giraph programming, introduces the basic Giraph graph model and explains how to write Giraph programs. In turn, Chapter 4 discusses in detail the implementation of some popular graph algorithms including PageRank, connected components, shortest paths and triangle closing. Chapter 5 focuses on advanced Giraph programming, discussing common Giraph algorithmic optimizations, tunable Giraph configurations that determine the system's utilization of the underlying resources, and how to write a custom graph input and output format. Lastly, chapter 6 highlights two systems that have been introduced to tackle the challenge of large scale graph processing, GraphX and GraphLab, and explains the main commonalities and differences between these systems and Apache Giraph. This book serves as an essential reference guide for students, researchers and practitioners in the domain of large scale graph processing. It offers step-by-step guidance, with several code examples and the complete source code available in the related github repository. Students will find a comprehensive introduction to and hands-on practice with tackling large scale graph processing problems using the Apache Giraph system, while researchers will discover thorough coverage of the emerging and ongoing advancements in big graph processing systems.

This book, originally published in 1987, evaluates the human and managerial implications of new office information technology, based on the actual experiences of organisations using the new technology. A variety of issues are examined including those centred on the role of the manger, producitivity, unemployment, physical and mental health. Major emphasis is placed on describing and discussing the implementation of new technology and ways of utilization which maximise benefits.

When this book was originally published in 1988, this book was the first to include a large number of reports on British and US companies' experience with computers in company training in such areas as banking, finance, insurance, manufacturing, IT, the retail industry, transport, telecommunications and energy. It provided a critical analysis of the situation and discusses company experiences, development, testing and implementation as well as cost-effectiveness and future trends.

This book undertakes to marry the concepts of "Concept Mapping" with a "Design Thinking" approach in the context of business analysis. While in the past a lot of attention has been paid to the business process side, this book now focusses information quality and valuation, master data and hierarchy management, business rules automation and business semantics as examples for business innovation opportunities. The book shows how to take "Business Concept Maps" further as information models for new IT paradigms. In a way this books redefines and extends business analysis towards solutions that can be described as business synthesis or business development. Business modellers, analysts and controllers, as well as enterprise information architects, will benefit from the intuitive modelling and designing approach presented in this book.Thepragmatic and agile methodspresented can be directly applied to improve the wayorganizations manage their business concepts and their relationships.

"This book is a great contribution to the information management community. It combines a theoretical foundation with practical methods for dealing with important problems. This is rare and very useful. Conceptual models that communicate business reality effectively require some degree of creative imagination. As such, they combine the results of business analysis with communication design, as is extensively covered in this book."

Dr. Malcolm Chisholm, President at AskGet.com Inc.

Truly understanding business requirements has always been a major stumbling block in business intelligence (BI) projects. In this book, Thomas Frisendal introduces a powerful technique business concept mapping that creates a virtual mind-meld between business users and business analysts. Frisendal does a wonderful explaining and demonstrating how this tool can improve the outcome of BI and other development projects ."

Wayne Eckerson, executive director, BI Leadership Forum

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This study, originally published in 1987, addresses the question of small firm performance. Drawing on an extensive database containing financial, employment and ownership data for several thousand small firms, the book examines whether small firms do actually provide jobs, whether they grow and why small firms fail. Guidance is given on how to spot the signs of impending failure in a small business, which is of use to accountants small business PR actioners and government grant providers.

This book, originally published in 1982, review the resurrection of the small firm, partly by a multi-disciplined examination of the existing literature on small and new firms and partly by reporting the results of a study of firms new (in the early 1980s) to the North East of England. Part 1 deals with the role of small firms as sources of potential or actual competition, and their role in research and innovation. In Part 2 the theoretical foundations for the study of entrepreneurs and their new firms are laid, using concepts from a cross-section of the social sciences. Part 3 tests some of the theories outlined in Part 2 and reviews the problems which the entrepreneurs faced in starting and developing their business and the impact which such businesses had upon the local economy. Part 4 reviews the lessons of the preceding parts in the context of the regional and national economy of the UK.

This book, originally published in 1996, develops a model of information gathering for small businesses. Whilst all small business owners gather and process some information, the quality and types of information gathered is limited. Size and resource constraints force small business owners to make difficult decisions related to the research that they conduct. The model developed in this book is tested in part through a study of the information gathering practices of small owners/managers in the landscaping industry in Wisconsin, USA.

This book constructs both educational and research arguments on various dimensions of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy and regulation. There has been a paradigm shift in the ICT industry due to convergence of various technologies, the ubiquity of the Internet, the emergence of app economy and the pervasiveness of social media. These pose policy and regulatory challenges in the areas of industry structure, market power of firms, pricing of products and services, interconnection of networks, radio spectrum management, intellectual property rights, data privacy and security. The common thread throughout the different sections of the book is the massive adoption of digitization by individuals, enterprises, governments and societies and the critical role of associated regulation and policy for its success. The book addresses 13 important questions in the areas of: i) Telecom Regulation including bundling of products and services, interconnection, and radio spectrum; (ii) Internet Regulation including governance of the Internet, Net Neutrality, quality of service, and cyber security; (iii) App Economy Regulation including Over The Top communication and broadcast services, ICT platform intermediation, sharing economy, data protection and privacy; and (iv) Emerging Technology Regulation including Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Rights. The book explains technology and related regulatory concepts in an easy-to-read format and includes brief case studies describing the regulatory approaches from different countries. Specific focus is given to the regulatory landscape in India surrounding these questions and the lessons for similar emerging countries. Written in the form of contemporary questions and answers, this unique book appeals to researchers in ICT policy and regulation, regulators and policymakers, as well as students interested in the subject area. "The book comprehensively covers the current and emerging policy and regulatory issues relating to ICT, especially as applicable to India. Further, it provides a theoretical framework for analysing each regulatory issue along with practical implications. A good reference for researchers, regulators and policy makers." - Dr R.S. Sharma, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. "This book by Professor Sridhar provides an excellent overview of the challenges that the world faces in coping with the dynamic new emerging digital technologies that affect the way we work, play and communicate with each other. As the internet and mobile telephony becomes more ubiquitous and accessible to everyone regardless of socio-economic class, ICT can be used for good or for mischief. The book lays out the issues of regulating global ICT and policies that governments should adopt to enable its productive and positive use." - Dr G Anand Anandalingam, Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Management Science, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, U.S.A. "Using problem-centric approach successfully opens the complexity of ICT regulation to a wider audience. Through cleverly chosen topical case examples the book links the problems of Indian and international ICT markets." - Dr Hammainen Heikki, Professor, Department of Communications and Networking, Aalto University, Finland. "Prof Sridhar is a Thought Leader in the Telecom space and I have enjoyed my interaction with him over the years. This book is an excellent compendium looking at the main regulations and policies with reference to the ICT sector. It serves as a ready reckoner for new entrants and professionals alike, providing global and local perspectives on topics that impact the growing Digital Economy." - P Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited, India "Emerging ICT Policies and Regulations: Roadmap to Digital Economies is a must read for understanding essential questions regarding ICT Policy and Regulation as digitization develops locally and globally. With useful information on the case of India (and other countries), the book provides a clear, comprehensive, and cogent capture of relevant concepts and practices as well as emerging challenges. Powerful illustrations make concrete the nuance of regulatory approaches and provide added value for the reader." - Dr. Nanette S. Levinson, Professor, Internet Governance Lab, School of International Service, American University, USA, "Reference books are usually an important source of information but they are often not very readable. I am glad to say that Prof. Sridhar has managed to produce a very-well written account of ICT regulation and policies with a focus on India, and the result is a comprehensive and interesting volume with a number of very useful chapters; many of them easily digested on their own. The book is highly recommended for members of the internet and telecommunications industries, regulators and researchers." - Dr Jairo Gutierrez, Professor and Deputy Head, Engineering Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. "Professor Sridhar's book provides the required regulatory theory and framework on 13 most important issues of the digital economy and provides guidance for setting policies and rules. A comprehensive reference for students and practitioners in the area of ICT regulation." - Dr S Sadagopan, Director and Professor, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, India "Emerging ICT Policies and Regulations puts together invaluable and timely research in mapping and analysing the various issues faced by digital economy in India. Prof Sridhar has captured the most pressing issues in it, pertaining to Competition Law and Policy, Intellectual Property Rights, net neutrality, data privacy, regulating OTT services etc., not just comprehensively, but in a reader friendly way. A must read for anyone wanting to get insights on the numerous challenges involved in optimally regulating ICT driven services". - Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, Consumer Unity & Trust Society International, India "The Book is a very exhaustive and excellent collection of contemporary issues & challenges on Policy & Regulation that the Digital Economy is likely to grapple with in the coming years. The research on each of these issues which precedes the suggested outcome ( by the author ) is very comprehensive and includes detailed analysis of the pros and cons, global best practices in the area of Policy Regulation in other Regimes , how the Indian context differs from the others and therefore , how it could possibly be addressed. " - TV Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum, India "Whether it is spectrum auction or license fee; net neutrality or interconnection; cybersecurity or privacy; Sridhar peels off layers and presents underlying tensions within the fast-paced technological revolution and rather slow evolution of policy & regulation." - Deepak Maheshwari, Former Secretary - ISP Association of India, Co-Founder - National Internet eXchange of India, Former Chair - IEEE Internet Initiative, India. "An encyclopedic mapping of regulatory challenges and solutions for the sector by the always insightful Prof. Sridhar. Through a single book, he provides an accessible guide to a plurality of regulations impacting the various layers of the OSI model." - Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, Centre for Internet & Society, India

Social Mobility for the 21st Century addresses experiences of social mobility, and the detailed processes through which entrenched, intergenerationally transmitted privilege is reproduced. Contributions include (but are not limited to) family relationships, students' encounters with higher education, narratives of work careers, and 'mobility identities'. The book intends to challenge both the framework of the more traditional approach, and the politicisation of mobility which casts 'mobility' as a possession, a commodity or a character trait, and threatens to castigate the 'non-mobile' as carrying a personal responsibility for their situation. This book presents critical analyses of routes into social mobility, the experience of social mobility, and the political and social implications of social mobility's 'panacea' status. Drawing on the work of established scholars and more recent entrants, the chapters offer a fresh look at social mobility, opening up the topic to a wider readership among the profession and beyond, and stimulating further debate. This book will appeal to higher level students and scholars of sociology alike, as well as having a broad cross-disciplinary appeal.

This book presents a variant of UML that is especially suitable for agile development of high-quality software. It adjusts the language UML profile, called UML/P, for optimal assistance for the design, implementation, and agile evolution to facilitate its use especially in agile, yet model based development methods for data intensive or control driven systems. After a general introduction to UML and the choices made in the development of UML/P in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 includes a definition of the language elements of class diagrams and their forms of use as views and representations. Next, Chapter 3 introduces the design and semantic facets of the Object Constraint Language (OCL), which is conceptually improved and syntactically adjusted to Java for better comfort. Subsequently, Chapter 4 introduces object diagrams as an independent, exemplary notation in UML/P, and Chapter 5 offers a detailed introduction to UML/P Statecharts. Lastly, Chapter 6 presents a simplified form of sequence diagrams for exemplary descriptions of object interactions. For completeness, appendixes A-C describe the full syntax of UML/P, and appendix D explains a sample application from the E-commerce domain, which is used in all chapters. This book is ideal for introductory courses for students and practitioners alike.