Vocational education is an interface between practical and theoretical knowledge involving both work-related general knowledge and practical knowledge generated at work. The contributions cover many features of VET (Vocational Education and Training) in a global world. Part one examines VET's work-relatedness as education marked by social or group (rather than individual) dynamics, and is inductive and practice-oriented. The second part of this volume critically examines features of vocational education policy that are central to a number of present-day global social and economic concerns in light of changes in apprenticeship policies, information technology, structural adjustment, crises in youth culture, and shifting regional political and economic agendas. Global VET concerns are presented from national conditions of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

Organizations consist of people with different orientations toward time. Each type of person makes his or her own contribution and has unique limitations. The most effective leaders understand and recognize the differences in the way people feel and think about time and use them in constructive ways. Literally, they have good timing. This book explains the concept of temporal alignment and explores ways to enhance one's skills based on a solid understanding of this important component of leadership. Time matters to leaders. They worry about the past, present, and future, but most lean heavily in one direction, becoming past-, present-, or future-oriented. This bias is associated with strengths that we can effectively use and weaknesses that can hinder us. Different situations require different time orientations. If we are aware of our time orientation or temporal alignment, we can begin to "mind" our time and grow attuned to the appropriate orientation for each situation. This book explains that when leaders develop an understanding of temporal alignment, they can accurately anticipate the alignment required by each circumstance and find ways to behave appropriately--even when the leader's personality does not fit the situation.

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.

Seldom does a work on corporate communications take such a radical economic approach to the topic. Horton integrates corporate communications cost-effectively into all business activity and presents a new way to look at corporate communications as a force behind all business disciplines. He describes and reviews external and internal communication; examines human behavior in communicating; reviews corporate communication structure; and analyzes messages and media and shows how to get started toward cost-effective corporate communication.

In 11 chapters, the book presents a look at corporate communications based on economic principles. Separate chapters examine the business environment and communication; corporate communication and strategy and reputation; corporate communication and the individual; corporate communication and messages; corporate communication and media; corporate communication and measurement; and corporate communication and business structure. A major resource for senior managers, strategists, and other communications specialists.

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.

A groundbreaking, empowering collection of advice—richly illustrated with the stories of women at top echelons of their fields—that advances the leadership outlook for Generation X and Y women like no book before it. Over the course of a year, Selena Rezvani interviewed women executives in various industries, roles, and job functions, including Jamie McCourt, president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Denise Incandela, president of Saks Direct at Saks Fifth Avenue, Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Naomi Earp, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The result is The Next Generation of Women Leaders, a penetrating, eye-opening, and ultimately empowering narrative, filled with stories of remarkable women who navigated the leadership maze and triumphed. While the leadership landscape may be shifting in women's favor, women are nowhere near an equal presence in leadership roles when compared to men. Rezvani's achievement was to engage some extraordinarily accomplished women as mentors, each of whom provided tools and information that young women can use to shape their own careers. The Next Generation of Women Leaders encourages younger women to be their own advocates when it comes to professional growth and advancement, and it provides tangible how-tos on negotiating the workplace as a woman.

The American University of Avezzano, Italy, must create a curriculum that promotes physical education. Its geographic location makes it an ideal place to help a variety of people of different nationalities. If done correctly, a focus of this kind would establish an American school of physical education, health, recreation, camping, and outdoor activity, thus improving quality of life for both students and the community in general. In this scholarly work, author Aspr Surd provides insights on strategy and organizational structure based on comparative physical education programs; details on the functions studied and how administrators at American schools integrate physical education into curriculums; information from surveys of American colleges and universities in the East and Midwest that provide strategies on how to organize such a campus. By studying innovation in an array of curriculums, schools throughout Italy can change their daily routines and help their students. Studying the forms and methods implemented in the creation of a new school points to urgent needs and compelling opportunities both inside and outside centers of learning.

Planning by civil governments, businesses, and the military services has been considered separately in both theory and practice. Those concerned with each of these applications have had little contact with those in the others, despite the common concerns and characteristics of their respective practices.

A leading figure in the research and education in planning, Branch draws upon his experience in civil, corporate, and military planning to provide a comprehensive guide to the key aspects of planning. This text is invaluable to those engaged in governmental and business planning and to students working toward careers in urban and regional planning, public administration, business management, and other fields concerned with planning.

The key to teaching business ethics successfully, says Sims, is to start with clear goals and a sensible expectation of outcomes, and with a true knowledge and appreciation of how people actually learn. Seems obvious enough, he says, but the surprise is that so few understand this. Thus, the teaching of business ethics is often an unproductive, frustrating exercise in futility. Sims hopes to change that. Proceeding with the conviction that open communications between teacher and student before, during, and after the teaching experience is vital, Sims identifies key teaching processes, gives practical advice on designing and planning the curriculum, and offers guidance on how to develop a climate conducive to effective learning. He highlights the importance of creating a classroom climate that encourages open dialogue, good moral conversation, and conversational learning. And throughout he emphasizes that learning styles and experiential learning theory are cornerstones of teaching business ethics, thus taking an approach unlike any in the literature. An important guide for those who are new to teaching this essential subject, Sims' book will also be helpful for more experienced teachers who are wondering why their own methods do not always work, or do not work as well as they believe they should. Sims identifies important processes that must be managed if business ethics is to be taught and learned successfully--processes such as creating stakeholder commitment to the goals, purposes, and outcomes of the teaching effort, and curriculum design and planning that are attuned to individual differences in learning styles, motivation, and values. Also included in Sims' processes are thedevelopment of individual school outcomes, and expectations, and the assessment procedures that can measure them. He discusses the importance of incorporating debriefing into an experiential learning exercise or discussion, and goes on to give an in-depth discussion of the pedagogical approaches that allow teachers to teach the practical and theoretical components of the subject simultaneously. Well illustrated with examples, such as an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and a way to institutionalize outcomes assessment by means of total quality management, Sims' book returns constantly to his major theme: that to teach business ethics effectively the teacher must first create a climate of trust and sharing within and between students, and between students and teacher, and that the teacher must have a concrete way to measure the impact of the teaching effort's results.

Reflections is a collection of my writings through the years in defense of and support for Affirmative Action in the construction industry. It documents a struggle for economic justice that began on July 23, 1969 when Chicago community groups assembled to demand equal participation in local federal construction projects. As these programs became successful, resistance rose at a rapid clip. Who would have thought that our quest for economic justice would eventually reach the Supreme Court as a battle against "reverse discrimination?" Who would have believed that the "affirmative action" programs that integrated an exclusive white workforce, and provided new opportunities for Black firms would be challenged so vigorously that the term would not even be used by the 2008 presidential candidates? We share our experiences for others seeking change by providing examples of how Black businesses can address community problems, including educating elected officials and holding them accountable. It was though my membership in Parren Mitchell's (Maryland's first Black congressman-1971), Black Business Braintrust, that the first national legislation requiring mandatory Minority Business Enterprise MBE] utilization was forged. This book emphasizes four main areas of concern: Affirmative Action as a tool to break the pattern of exclusion by construction trade unions and apprenticeship programs. To demonstrate that local organizations with dedicated leaders can combat discrimination and create positive change that reverberates nationally. To expand the Black tradesmen workforce as a vehicle for increasing Black subcontractor numbers and developing substantial Black general contractors. The development of viable black construction firms: UBM, Inc., which I co-founded in 1974, was by 2004, the largest Black general contractor in the state of Illinois. My firm accomplished everything I sought to prove as a black business by creating the capacity to apply positive solutions to problems besieging our community.

Effective communication will never go out of style. It will outlive the critics, survive shifting trends, and thrive in this tech age. As a professional, entrepreneur, or business leader, you must amplify your communication skills to accelerate your career, grow your business, or sharpen your credibility. As a corporation, you must use purposeful communication to nurture trust, coax employee engagement, boost your reputation, and steer actions to profitability. But how can you get the results you deserve with effective communication and position yourself for long-term success? In this book, you'd find the latest insights on non-verbal communication, public speaking, and business writing to build your knowledge of best practices. Then you'll learn practical techniques for honing these communication skills to influence people and thrive in your arena. Lucille Ossai draws upon recommendations from thought leaders and practitioners in the field: from researchers and authors to communication experts. Written in the author's signature simple, yet authoritative style, the book is enhanced by her experience as a communications trainer, advisor, and blogger. From her anecdotes to interviews with successful professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, you'll discover what to do, what you must avoid in your communication - and how to proceed. This evergreen resource will become your invaluable companion as you strive for excellence in your industry. Snippet of the foreword: This one book takes you through everything you need to know so you can use effective communication to get results. It reveals the newest thinking on communication, alongside tried and tested classic models. Lucille masterfully tackles verbal and nonverbal techniques and generously provides tips for becoming the most influential communicator. She also lists simple strategies for powerful persuasion - not the bare bones to survive, but the practical tools to truly thrive. - Mark Bowden Expert in human behavior and body language President, National Communication Coach Association of Canada

Drawing from decades of research, teaching, and consulting in the fields of marketing and strategy, the author demystifies the forces of market chaos, including technological change, globalization, and consumer behavior, showing readers how to identify those forces that can be turned to their competitive advantage. Featuring dozens of illustrative examples, of both winners and losers, and concluding each chapter with a series of questions designed to help readers apply the book's principles in their own organizations, Samli demonstrates how to detect changes in market conditions early, uncover latent customer needs, create new products and services, and maintain a competitive edge. There is no doubt that the business environment has become increasingly unpredictable. Yesterday's market leaders become tomorrow's has-beens; upstarts take on established giants; customers flock to new technologies while demanding old-fashioned customer service; and, of course, the Internet and the forces of globalization are accelerating the pace of change. Learning how to survive—and thrive—in this environment is of utmost importance for any company that intends to stick around. Drawing from decades of research, teaching, and consulting in the fields of marketing and strategy, the author demystifies these chaotic forces, identifying the pressures on business that create uncertainty, but also the potential for innovation for those who recognize opportunities to strengthen their competitive position. Featuring dozens of illustrative examples of both winners and losers, Samli shows readers how to turn market chaos and uncertainty to their advantage. Concluding each chapter with a series of questions designed to help readers apply the book's principles in their own organizations, Samli demonstrates how to detect changes in market conditions early, uncover latent customer needs, create new products and services, and maintain a competitive edge.

Drawing on research in the areas of business organization, information technology, and information economics this book develops an empirical basis for integrating the three fields. It investigates information technology management based on the theoretical foundations of information economics, examines the chief information officer phenomenon and identifies the factors that lead organizations to create such a position, and analyzes organizational and managerial motivations leading to investment in information technology. Karake concludes that the way information technology is managed and the magnitude of investment in such technology depends on the organization ownership structure, that the ownership structure is a determinant of the degree of control information managers exercise, and that there is a significant relationship between the size and composition of boards of directors and the management of and investment in information technology.

This study will be of interest to students, researchers, and practitioners of information technology management and information technology performance.

Offering a theoretically coherent and integrated introduction, the book examines how communication (symbolic activity) occurs in a range of contexts from individual perception and thought to interpersonal and public situations. It provides solid theoretical grounding for understanding the centrality of communication, integrating research on gender throughout so that it is understood as a primary screen on communicative behavior. The first section provides theoretical grounding by applying the symbolic interactionist orientation to theory, language, situations, nonverbal behavior, and listening. In the text, symbolic interactionist theory explains how selfhood arises in communication with others and how individuals' communicative interactions create and sustain their interpersonal relationships. The final section applies a symbolic interactionist perspective to communication in group, public, and interview settings.

What can you learn from a mouse? When that mouse has been delighting and entertaining hundreds of millions of people for decades - it turns out there is plenty to learn. Dennis Snow's Lessons From the Mouse provides ten no-nonsense, practical principles that anyone, anywhere can apply. He entertains while he educates with chapters like 'What Time is the 3:00 Parade?' Is Not a Stupid Question.The mouse is very candid here - no Disney pixie dust blinds the reader. Backstage snafus, onstage errors, and occasional chaos emerge in all their drama, humor, or irony. At its heart, though, Lessons From the Mouse presents ten lessons that guide readers in applying excellence in their own organizations, careers, and lives. Whether being used as a tool for increased organizational effectiveness or a pocket guide for the college grad or new entrepreneur, Lessons From the Mouse offers timeless, straightforward advice.

The following is a work dealing with the international aspects of corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Specifically, the impact of an overemphasized shareholder value construct in the privatization process in Germany on the examples of Deutsche Telekom AG and Deutsche Post AG.

Using the words of its own people, this intriguing book provides an in-depth look at the incredibly successful airline that changed the rules of the game with a no-frills business model and innovative corporate culture. Southwest Airlines turns in-depth interviews with the company's leaders, managers, employees, and passengers into a powerful case study of this highly successful, game-changing business. Ranging from the early days of the company to the present, the book covers the history of the airline and its founders, while also detailing the unique corporate culture that attracts employees and passengers alike. Throughout its history, Southwest has championed a culture that puts employees first, creating a productive workforce by hiring for "attitude before aptitude" (because skills can be taught) and allowing employees to be themselves at work. The founders' philosophies of "servant leadership" and a "fun-LUVing" attitude continue to attract employees and influence the company's daily work today. In detailing the airline's inner workings in the words of its own people, this book shows other companies how they can emulate Southwest's powerful business model and strategies, as well as its hiring practices and corporate culture.

Oller and Giardetti provide a simple, comprehensive, and fully consistent theory to explain why some messages and images communicate more effectively than others -- and then show specialists in advertising, marketing, and high stake communications how to apply the theory in their work. With examples and illustrations that practitioners and academics alike will find understandable, they provide readers with a solid grounding in semiotics, the study of how meanings are constructed and construed in signs. In doing so Oller and Giardetti help high stakes communicators find new ways to reach and persuade others -- but speak against deceit and subterfuge. They make clear that messages must be consistent with the facts, and that the most successful communicators share one special trait: integrity. A readable, research-based, up-to-date treatment of an important emerging field of study, and a carefully developed guide for practitioners and academics alike.

"Images That Work" is about emotions, desires, ideas, and the hard objects, events, and tensional relations in the common world of space and time. It is about creating and presenting words and pictures in ways that communicate genuine substance from real people to other real people. Oller and Giardetti begin with the foundations of integrity, the glory of supreme effort, and the weaknesses of fads, fashions, and untested gut feelings. They draw examples from high stakes messages in advertising, entertainment, and other communications industries. In doing so they make clear that not only are effective messages consistent with material facts, they are also comprehensive in how they convey facts and yet concise and simple enough to fit into the time and space that consumers will devote to the message. And along the way they give readers a solid grounding in the fascinating and relatively new field of semiotics, a field that has already become well established in the academic community and which has begun to spread its influence to the world outside.

THE DEVIL'S MARRIAGEBREAK UP THE CORPOCRACY OR LEAVE DEMOCRACY IN THE LURCHAmerica is becoming a "ruiNation." The reason, well-known psychologist Dr. Gary Brumback, tells us is the corpocracy, the "Devil's Marriage" between powerful corporations and patronizing politicians. He proposes "Democracy Power," a revolutionary but civil, peaceful force to break up the corpocracy."Gary Brumback's passion for social and economic justice shines through every page of his new book. He tells it as he sees it, mincing no words. He shows how essential it is for us to change the rules of the game so that we may break the ties that bind corporations and government -- and move to a more equitable and sustainable future."---Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and The Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations."A refreshing, exuberant read, full of sock-it-to-them creative insights about how corpocracy in the US has subverted democracy and what to do about it. This book is a political version of "On the Road"-- a passionate out flowing of analysis, critique and transformative strategies, including a vision of a national coalition of NGOs and movements uniting to challenge the corpocracy, spearheaded by a US Chamber of Democracy. Not for the faint of heart but red meat for progressives and activists everywhere."---Charles Derber, author of Corporation Nation, Regime Change Begins at Home, and, most recently, Greed to Green."This is an extraordinary and timely book that deserves to be widely read. Gary Brumback tells it like it is: America is no longer a democracy, governed by and for the people; we are a 'corpocracy' governed by and for large corporations with the massive help of an obliging government. Their grip on our nation is tight, but not unbreakable. Brumback shows how we can loosen it and reclaim our democratic heritage."---Peter Barnes, author of Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons, and co-founder of Working Assets.

The contents of this book encourage business men and women to play by the rule.If you are fair to your employees, there are always great benefits; however, if you encourage unfairness,over a period of time you will see the whole establishment begin to crumble gradually; and you will be asking the same question like many have in the past--where did I go wrong?--Fairness is definitely the way to success!

This hands-on, self-coaching program helps aspiring leaders develop their skills, understand themselves, and realize their dreams. In Becoming Your Own Business Coach, Dr. George Watts helps readers become their own "change agents." His core principle? Exceptional executives possess the ability to hold deep conversations not just with others, but with themselves. The core premise of this book is straightforward: The deeper and better you understand yourself, the more successful an executive you will become. Becoming Your Own Business Coach offers clear, practical ways executives can grow through introspection, self-knowledge, and self-awareness. Dr. Watts employs the time-honored Socratic approach of asking guided, open-ended questions, providing short personality tests, and explaining straightforward concepts to make the reading journey practical, simple, enjoyable—and productive. Self-coaching, done right, can raise one's emotional intelligence, reveal new skills and abilities, and help readers get from where they are in business and life to where they want to be. His book, Watts says, is action learning, challenging readers to become a partner in their own professional journeys, bridging the gap from their current to their ideal selves.

As the 21st century nears, networked computing is becoming the essence of computing itself. Alternative phrases abound--collaborative work, computer supported cooperative work, simultaneous/concurrent engineering, multimedia real-time interactive work--but the neatest, shortest, and simplest catch-all term was coined in 1978: groupware. The two visionaries who coined the term, Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz, are among the 42 expert contributors to Groupware in the 21st Century. Other contributors to the volume include Microsoft's Bill Gates, professors Jay Nunamaker and Tom Malone, and management author Robert Heller. As with most technological sea-changes, the groupware revolution is having its impact first on business, where enhanced interaction between an organization's members, strategic allies, suppliers, and customers can help ensure that it remains dynamic and competitive. Anyone who wants to know about the future of information technology and group processes will want to read this book which brings perspective and clarity to these new technologies.

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT in ORGANISATIONS: STRATEGY, EVIDENCE and PRACTICE provides a comprehensive and thematic overview of the thinking, research evidence and practice of strategic L&D in organisations. It covers both strategic and operational practice dimensions, to help students of L&D and HRM to acquire a deep understanding of the field and to inform the practice of L&D professionals by identifying the best available evidence on L&D practices and by providing them with guidelines for action. It builds on the core operational building blocks of L&D and goes beyond these to take a strategic perspective, emphasising the contribution of L&D to organisational and financial performance and the need to align formal and informal L&D with business objectives. Each chapter incorporates pedagogical features to enable the student or practitioner to apply the concepts to organisational life, link theory to practice and signpost readers to the best available evidence on L&D practices. Specifically: > Succinct and concise explanations of Key Concepts found within the field of L&D; > Critical Reflection exercises that help the reader to engage with key concepts and debates within the field; > A Best Available Evidence to Inform Practice feature to summarise the results of meta-analysis and systematic / integrative reviews in a manner that is accessible to practitioners; > Two Case Studies as examples of application to practice relevant to the chapter's content - and, the end of each chapter, a longer case study with questions that provide an opportunity for classroom-based and practitioner discussion; > Recommended Further Reading to allow the reader to enhance their understanding of the chapter content; > A Glossary to provide students and practitioners with easy access to definitions of the key concepts used throughout the book, as well as other important L&D terms. The book is divided into three key sections, which cover different aspects of L&D: > Section One: Concepts and Context of L&D in Organisations: Chapter 1 discusses the concepts of L&D, the external and internal context of L&D and the key dimensions of strategic L&D in organisations. Chapters 2 and 3 introduce readers to the key theoretical and conceptual foundations of strategic L&D, and its key components, including strategy processes, roles and resources; > Section Two: Theory and Practice of L&D: Chapters 4 to 14 explain the main theories, concepts, models and practices that underpin strategic L&D in organisations. This section covers a wide range of issues that L&D practitioners need to better understand the design, delivery and evaluation of L&D in organisations; > Section Three: Developing the L&D Professional and the Future Role of L&D: Chapters 15 and 16 cover the changing roles of L&D practitioners in organisations, their competence development, professional ethics and the future of ion, including potential new roles and forms of L&D. LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT in ORGANISATIONS: STRATEGY, EVIDENCE and PRACTICE is published in association with the Irish Institute of Training and Development and aims to set the agenda for L&D professionals in the future.

This is a book of negotiation stories that apply techniques Dr. Klatt has learned since 1972, the year he began his career as a professional real estate licensee negotiator. They are techniques that were learned in the School of Hard Knocks, the best learning place of all. This book is not intended to be a complete presentation of all areas of negotiation, negotiation practice, or negotiation theory. It is intentionally short on theory and long on stories. It is so much easier (and more fun) to remember stories than theory, and if you remember the story you will be able to work back to the theory. It is a book written for real estate agents, law students, attorneys, mediators, and anyone else for whom negotiations are central to their career. In a sense, this means that this book has been written for us all. For we are all professional negotiators. Dr. Klatt was a strapping San Diego City lifeguard, excellent athlete, competitive surfer, ambidextrous tennis player, and drag racing champion before an accident robbed him of his sight. That was an event that could have broken the spirit of lesser men. Instead, Dr. Klatt turned his physical short-coming into a vector for professional excellence. He went on to sell a portfolio of property that has a present collective value that is easily worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and he did it all without ever laying sight upon one single inch of the property that he sold. This book is his method.