Globalization has, within academic, political and business circles alike, become the buzz word of the 1990s, conjuring an ever growing diversity of associations, connotations and attendant mythologies. In this volume an array of international academics assess the contribution of the globalization thesis, in its various guises, to our understanding of social, political and economic change in contemporary societies. They expose, challenge and demystify many of the exaggerated and over-generalized claims made about globalization, whilst developing a distinctive "third wave" perspective on the world we inhabit and the processes currently reconfiguring it.

When Joseph Sedulus, son of a Bill Gates figure, enters graduate school at Stanford University, his father introduces him to a dark corrupt underground society. Comprised of extremely wealthy investors called "The Elite" and professional hackers known as "The Guys Upstairs," this secretive organization works in concert to control the world's financial and political destinies. This journal-formatted collection of ideas is a contemporary-fiction book that depicts a world in which a massive mega corporation called Maxion, often referred to as M$, gradually takes over the globe through a series of large business mergers. Joe's father, Dr. Sedulus, is the CEO of Maxion as well as richest man on earth. There are several blatant similarities between M$, the company in Pushing the Envelope, and Microsoft. This same mechanic is applied to other entities throughout the novel to give it a very realistic perception. For example, Wally World and Maxion join in the middle of the book to create Maxion Online, a massive distribution and telecommunications conglomerate. In a few short years, M$ releases several popular devices such as the WebTVo+, SmartScreen, and Model C#. Joe discusses how these technologies and globalization come together to redefine the world economy using a technique called "Monopolistic Socialism." The repercussion of Maxion's success leads to a jealous Elite who eventually setup a coup to take down the Sedulus Empire.

This is a must-read book for inquisitive minds, those with big ideas in the collaborative foundations of Democratic Governance, Public Administration and Capacity Building. It is a book of building and improving public service, current issues and best practices in managing transformational trends in governance and democracy, employee empowerment citizen participation and the rampant culture of corruption in the Nigerian system of government. It is a book of learning from the practice of Democratic Governance in a civic society; a practical example of Nigerian inept leadership in management of the Public Administrative sector that includes thought-provoking normative arguments; a book that creates a powerful learning instrument for students of research methodology; a reference book for adult learners and researchers; a book that can bring each person's life experiences to share, and allow them to open their minds as they read the book with innovative public leadership development in mind.

On-line analytical processing (OLAP) is clearly a new approach to information system technology--offering a much-needed way to make informed decisions better and faster. One of its most important characteristics is multidimensional analysis--analysis that goes beyond the conventional two-dimensional analysis and provides users with rapid retrieval of data from organizational databases, data warehouses, or both. Not only that, but most importantly, says Dr. Thierauf, it allows users to look at different dimensions of the same data, thus enabling them to do analyses across departmental and even corporate boundaries. How it works and OLAP's many benefits to aid users in the public and private sectors is spelled out here, comprehensively yet concisely, and with the author's customary well-developed examples and clear prose. His book will be important reading for people at all levels of management and in all types of organizations.

Another way of viewing OLAP is getting a typical company out of the custom-report-writing business and into the data-cube-server building business. An OLAP data structure can be thought of as a Rubik's Cube of data that users can twist and twirl in different ways to work through what-if and what-happened scenerios to get at the "whys" of the situation. Within an OLAP environment, the focus is on performing dictionary definition and maintenance as well as mapping flat files or relational columns to dimensions and measures. Although this may sound like a lot of work, managing one data cube is more efficient than writing a number of custom reports. Currently, some vendors provide administrative tools to get the data into the cubes in the first place, in the proper form, and on a regular basis. Hence, the job of managing data has been simplified for users.

Toll roads, bridges and tunnels represent the most popular class of infrastructure attracting international private finance today. Many deals, however, expose financiers, insurers and other project counterparties to demand risk. This moves traffic and revenue forecasts centre-stage in terms of being able to understand and test the investment proposition - yet the forecasting process itself often remains a mystery. Additionally, there are frequent concerns about predictive reliability. Written specifically for credit analysts, investors and other professionals whose primary expertise lies outside transportation, this book lifts the lid on the 'black box' of traffic and revenue forecasting. The author, Robert Bain (ex-S&P and a civil engineer with 20] years of forecasting experience) has prepared a straightforward guide which highlights key issues to watch for and suggests ways in which the forecasts can be analysed to improve transparency and investor understanding.

Add 20 times more revenues or beneficiaries at 96 percent less cost. "The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution is a brilliant distillation of essential management principles that everyone, and I mean everyone, can use to drive dramatic acceleration of performance. It's packed with great stories that make the principles easy to understand, embrace, and apply. Whether you're a leader in a big, small, for-profit, or not-for-profit organization, you need this book." Rosabeth Moss Kanter -- Harvard Business School, best-selling author of Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End "If you want greater profits and more efficiency, read this book. I found many breakthrough concepts for growing and streamlining all of our companies in this book. It made me aware of a lot of things we were not addressing and we are now." Jack Canfield -- Co-author of The Success Principles , and Co-creator, Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur's Soul(R)

Whether you are a leader by virtue of your position in an organization or not, you are leading a life and you are influencing those in your life. Therefore, we all are leaders and the way you live your life is the way you lead others. In Lead as You Live, Live as You Lead: Discovering the Six Principles of Uncommon Sense for Uncommon Success you will see that you know a great deal about leading that you seemingly forget in your everyday life. By "remembering" and living out of these Six Principles of Uncommon Sense your life will be transformed and you will become a transformational leader. In these Six Uncommon Sense Principles you will discover how you can know what life holds for you, you will rediscover where your personal power lies, you will understand the secret to a better quality of life, and you will learn the common denominators to greater happiness, better health, enhanced productivity and increased profitability.

Energy and Society (Revised) When first published in 1955, this book was among the first interpretive treatments of the connection between a society's energy conditions and evolution of its culture. The book begins with a basic discussion of the earliest forms of energy uses and evolves through a discussion of how the evolution of alternative energy converters has impacted the growth of civilization. Dr.Cottrell takes us from food gathering societies up through the beginning of the industrial revolution into the age of nuclear power. With each step of change, he discusses how society has changed and the impact these changes have had on economic, moral and social issues. Today, more than any time in history, the questions of energy sources, energy conversion, energy uses and energy distribution are among the greatest challenges faced by civilization. In this book, Dr. Cottrell does not give you answers or predictions but takes you through the thought processes necessary to overcome the multible barriers we face in moving into the future.

There has been a long felt need for a book which details the legal aspects of the airport business. This book will discuss the nature of the airport business and inquire into the constraints faced by airports in obtaining their revenues. It will also discuss the liability of an airport operator for injury to persons who use the airport premises and liability for vehicular accidents landside or airside including work accidents of airport employees or other accidents caused by airport employees of the airport. The bulk of the book will be dedicated to the legal aspects of issues such as principles of lease financing of premises and equipment; employee contracts; agency; general contractual and tortuous liability of airports; negligent entrustment of property and equipment; obligations of oversight of tenants in their implementation and application of contractual terms, Risk Management; legal principles pertaining to the oversight of airport safety and security; competition; labour law; and the art of negotiation.

Burke challenges the current thesis that companies "should" act responsibly toward communities and societies. Instead, he shows that changes in society "mandate" that companies must develop strategies and programs that foster a reputation of trust in local communities in order that they preserve their license to operate. Burke describes strategies and programs of action that enable companies to develop trust and thus maintain their license to operate. He also describes ways to use philanthropy and volunteer programs to achieve a competitive advantage.

The public environment in which companies operate has changed significantly since the 1970s. Communities, in response to elected officials and community groups, are demanding that companies observe new norms of behavior. They expect companies to respect the environment, respond to the concerns of the community residents, and contribute to the support of community institutions. As Burke illustrates, a company's community reputation also affects the behavior of consumers and employees. Consumers prefer to buy products from companies that are involved in the community. Employees are attracted to companies that have a good community reputation.

Just as successful companies need to be a supplier of choice, an employer of choice, and an investor of choice, they now have to become a neighbor of choice. They have to behave in ways that build a legacy of trust in order to be positioned positively in the community. As Burke shows, to be a neighbor of choice, a company has to pursue three strategies: build sustainable and ongoing relationships with key community individuals, groups, and organizations; institute procedures that anticipate and respond to community expectations, concerns, needs, and issues; and focus the company's community programs on ways that promote and strengthen the community's quality of life and which also support the business goals of the company. The strategies developed by Burke will be of great use to community and public affairs managers and general managers of corporations as well as CEOs and other executive officers. Students in courses on corporate strategy and general management will find the book of value, as will students in courses on non-profit management.

Scapegoating is the identification--then blaming and punishing--of individuals for problems that rightly belong to the larger organization. Dyckman and Cutler offer a survival guide for people affected by workplace scapegoating. They show us the social and psychological roots of scapegoating and explain how the individual and system act together to enable this human drama. This book shows how both individuals and the workplace system contribute to scapegoating. This book follows the career of the scapegoat and presents ways that the pattern can be interrupted. Strategies to help remove the bull's-eye include understanding how to recognize scapegoating and break behavioral patterns that make one an attractive target. Also provided is information for workers and managers who wish to develop cooperative means of dealing with individual differences, creating a work environment that is more humane and efficient. People who feel victimized by work-related scapegoating will find this book of great interest, as will professionals working in human resources or employee assistance programs. It will help managers who have "problem employees" and want to improve workflow, reduce turnover, and reduce workers' comp claims. This clear and concise compendium of examples, tips, and strategies will also appeal to mediators, shop stewards, union officials, psychotherapists, and occupational medicine specialists.

Do you think of your company's talent as an investment to be managed like a portfolio? You should, according to authors Becker, Huselid, and Beatty, if you're interested in strategy execution.
Many companies fall into the trap of spending too much time and money on low performers, while high performers aren't getting the necessary resources, development opportunities, or rewards. In "The Differentiated Workforce," the authors expand on their previous books, "The HR Scorecard" and "The Workforce Scorecard," and recommend that you manage your workforce like a portfolio - with disproportionate investments in the jobs that create the most wealth. You'll learn to:
Rise above talent management "best practice" and instead create a differentiated workforce that can't be easily copied by competitors
Differentiate those capabilities in your company that are truly strategic
Identify your wealth-creating "A" positions
Create a new relationship between HR and line managers, and articulate the role each plays in a differentiated workforce strategy
Develop the right measures for your organization
Based on two decades of academic research and experience working with hundreds of executives, "The Differentiated Workforce" gives you the tools to translate your talent into strategic impact.

This book provides a mirror to our past--a past that has been ignored or overshadowed for too long. " From the foreword by Alex Haley "

Kern-Foxworth chronicles the stereotypical portrayals of Blacks in advertising from the turn of the century to the present. Beginning with slave advertisements, she discusses how slavery led naturally to the stereotypes found in early advertisements. From the end of the slave era to the culmination of the Civil Rights movement, advertising portrayed Blacks as Aunt Jemimas, Uncle Bens, and Rastuses, and the author explores the psychological impact of these portrayals. With the advent of the Civil Rights movement, organizations such as CORE and NAACP voiced their opposition and became active in the elimination of such advertising. In the final chapters, the volume examines the reactions of consumers to integrated advertising and the current role of Blacks in advertising. Its truly novel subject matter and its inclusion of vintage and contemporary advertisements featuring Blacks make this a valuable work.

The contents of this book illustrates how a dream becomes a reality. The birth of a nonprofit organization that specializes in: developing academic excellence in at-risk and high risk children, and providing services by design for their sibling, parents and caregivers. Raising the standards of urban households through tailor made services.

What do you do when an oil industry giant, on whom you have depended for sixteen years to provide your company's largest plant with natural gas, suddenly tries to use federal legislation as a way to increase its price by more than ten times over what the contract calls for?

As DODGING THE BULLET recounts, you pull together a coalition of companies in the same bind as yours. And if your opponent has used the personal attorney to a powerful U.S. Senate figure to help draft the legislation that would abrogate their contract with you, you respond by hiring the best-known lobbying law firm in Washington and working side-by-side with them every step of the way. And you soon realize that the battle will involve a series of ups and downs.

The story unfolds in 1983-84, a time when fax machines were in their infancy and their were no personal computers, cell phones, iPads or any of the other communications shortcuts we depend on so much today. The lobbying involved old-fashioned shoe leather, face-to-face meetings with members of Congress and their staff, and countless phone calls and strategy sessions. DODGING THE BULLET puts you right in the middle of the fray and shows you what high-level lobbying is really like, and what it is not.

For anyone interested in knowing the ins and outs of Congress and the rules of lawmaking, this book is a must read.

In today's business world, your success relies directly upon your ability to make your mark online. An effective website is one that can sell your products or services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many businesses turn to online marketing experts to help them navigate the choppy waters of online marketing. Web service providers can help make your website the "go to" resource for your - but how do you know who to hire? Online marketing providers come in many different price categories and levels of competency. Without doing your due diligence, you'll end up placing the viability of your company's website in the wrong hands. In this book, SEO services expert Jeev Trika will walk you through multiple categories of of search engine marketing that your business will need in order to have an effective presence online. Each chapter looks at an industry in depth and shows you what to look for in an excellent service provider or software package. The categories covered include of: search engine optimization, pay per click management services, link building, content services, social media, landing page optimization, video SEO, affiliate marketing, local SEO, mobile optimization, virtual spokesperson, site audit services, hosting, training programs, PSD to HTML conversion services, press release distribution services, SEO shopping cart software, PPC bid management software, email marketing services, web analytics software, and marketing automation software. In each chapter, you'll learn the basics of each service or software and see real world examples of how actual customers have been helped by professionals in the field. Armed with this information, you'll be able to confidently hire and work with a web services professional or company to get your website where it needs to be.