The definitive guide to eliminating the forces that make it harder, more complicated, or downright impossible to get things done in organizations. Find out why Adam Grant says "If every leader took the ideas in this book seriously, the world would be a less miserable, more productive place."

Every organization is plagued by destructive friction. Yet some forms of friction are incredibly useful, and leaders who attempt to improve workplace efficiency often make things even worse. Drawing from seven years of hands-on research, The Friction Project by bestselling authors Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao teaches readers how to become “friction fixers.”

Sutton and Rao kick off the book by unpacking how skilled friction fixers think and act like trustees of others’ time. They provide friction forensics to help readers identify where to avert and repair bad organizational friction and where to maintain and inject good friction. Then their help pyramid shows how friction fixers do their work, from reframing friction troubles they can’t fix right now, so they feel less threatening, to designing and repairing organizations. The heart of the book digs into the causes and solutions for five of the most common and damaging friction troubles: oblivious leaders, addition sickness, broken connections, jargon monoxide, and fast and frenzied people and teams.

Sound familiar? Sutton and Rao are here to help. They wrap things up with lessons for leading your own friction project, including linking little things to big things; the power of civility, caring, and love for propelling designs and repairs; and embracing the mess that is an inevitable part of the process (while still trying to clean it up).

A visceral and powerful exploration of contemporary multi-cultural London. A dozen encounters on a London bus weave their way towards a violent climax . A man haunted by his past and the many pasts of his family, but in love with the present; all that's now greeting the senses. A woman stifled by lack of affection but determined to do what's right. A man obsessed with architecture and in love with a painting. Everyone talks; layers of privacy are peeled away laying bare a wide variety of lives, desires and illusions as we head towards Boundary Road on the 13.

Kadooboo! Golden brown, puffy, sweet, and crunchy, it's fresh from the pan--a delicious treat! As soon as it's ready, Kabir runs home with some to share. He's got to be quick, before the rain! But wait ... can he remember the treat's name? (His Amma is sure to ask!) Of course he can. That is, if fun and friends aren't too distracting along the way. As Kabir makes his way, the sights and sounds of the street and interactions with friends start to jumble his memory. A cool new comic, and suddenly the treat is book-oo-doo! When a ball whizzes toward him--duck-oo-boo! With so much fun to be had, Kabir reaches home with a trail of friends ... and a jumble of names. Could he possibly remember the right one? This modern retelling of a South Indian folktale blends playful wordplay with delightfully quick pacing in a story about friends, family, and food--the perfect recipe for a satisfying story time.

High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity-plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. In these living cities, architects are revered above anyone else. If not for their ability to psychically manipulate the architecture, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below. Charismatic, powerful, mystical, Iravan is one such architect. In his city, his word is nearly law. His abilities are his identity, but to Ahilya, his wife, they are a way for survival to be reliant on the privileged few. Like most others, she cannot manipulate the plants. And she desperately seeks change. Their marriage is already thorny-then Iravan is accused of pushing his abilities to forbidden limits. He needs Ahilya to help clear his name; she needs him to tip the balance of rule in their society. As their paths become increasingly intertwined, deadly truths emerge, challenging everything each of them believes. And as the earthrages become longer, and their floating city begins to plummet, Iravan and Ahilya's discoveries might destroy their marriage, their culture, and their entire civilization.

This up-to-date book demonstrates how the purchasing power parities (PPPs) of currencies are being increasingly used in place of exchange rates for a variety of purposes. These include: comparisons of real income, measurements of global inequality and poverty, calculation of the human development index and assessment of nations economic performance. Despite the increasing popularity of PPPs, many users have very little appreciation of the data and methods used in their derivation. This timely monograph brings together a number of significant contributions from leading researchers in the field, offering a comprehensive review of the latest methods used in the construction and application of PPPs. The authors provide a broad overview of the current state-of-the-art both in terms of techniques as well as current practice with various international organisations. Given the increasing application of PPPs in this truly globalised world, this book will be a stimulating read for researchers and academics involved in international comparisons and development economics, general economists and economist statisticians.

A charming debut historical mystery set in 1914 Fiji. Perfect for fans of Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan and Sujata Massey. 'AN UTTERLY CHARMING NOVEL ... NILIMA RAO IS AN AUTHOR WELL WORTH DISCOVERING' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH 'AN EXCEPTIONALLY PROMISING DEBUT' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW 1914, Fiji: Sergeant Akal Singh would rather be anywhere than this tropical paradise - or, as he calls it, 'this godforsaken island'. After a promising start to his police career in Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to the far-flung colony of Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and embarrassed, he dreams of solving a big case, thereby redeeming himself and gaining permission to leave. Otherwise, he fears he will be stuck in Fiji for ever. When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji's newspapers scream 'kidnapping', the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case, giving him strict instructions to view this investigation as nothing more than cursory. But as soon as Akal arrives on the plantation, he identifies several troubling inconsistencies in the plantation owners' stories, and it seems there is more to this disappearance than meets the eye . . .

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business, and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction explores strategies of pricing products (goods and services) that can be employed by a firm. The analytical techniques and data necessary for implementing the pricing strategies are described in an easy-to-understand manner, along with examples. Pricing strategies covered include cost-plus, reference value pricing, product line pricing, pricing product bundles, pricing over time, pricing under competition, and subscription pricing. Key Features: Analytics for implementing price strategies and practice of auctions and several novel pricing strategies such as pay-what-you wish pricing, freemium pricing, and neuro pricing Exploration of the concept of willingness to pay Review of important behavioral aspects useful in designing and implementing pricing strategies Business students, both undergraduate and MBA, professional pricing executives and marketing managers alike will appreciate the depth of knowledge provided in this Advanced Introduction to Pricing Strategy and Analytics.

This handbook is a unique and major resource on modern educators of Asia and their contribution to Asian educational development through the 19th and 20th centuries when modernization started in Asia. In one comprehensive volume, this handbook covers a selection of modern educators from East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia – and their contributions to the development of modern education, practically and theoretically. The diversity of cultures and religion as well as the multilinguistic and ethnic context have made Asian modernization unique and complex. Educational modernization in Asia reflected this historical context in many ways and resulted in the diverse forms of learning, teaching, institutions, and administration. Modern Asian educators compiled in this handbook represent various fields of Asian society: not only educational but cultural and social fields like academia, politics, economics, religion, literature, theatre, fine arts, and civic genres including the media. Through this Handbook, readers may discover the individual modern educators, male and female, and their contributions to Asian educational modernization. All of them were committed to the cause of education for children, youth, adults and in particular women. In addition, this volume has an extraordinarily rich subject index which can be an excellent guide and introduction to information touching divergent dynamics of educational developments in modern Asia. This insightful volume is perfect for students and researchers working on history of education, comparative education and educational development, particularly for those interested in Asian contexts.

This book focuses on the gendered experiences of environmental change across different geographies and social contexts in South Asia and on diverse strategies of adapting to climate variability. The book analyzes how changes in rainfall patterns, floods, droughts, heatwaves and landslides affect those who are directly dependent on the agrarian economy. It examines the socio-economic pressures, including the increase in women’s work burdens both in production and reproduction on gender relations. It also examines coping mechanisms such as male migration and the formation of women’s collectives which create space for agency and change in rigid social relations. The volume looks at perspectives from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal to present the nuances of gender relations across borders along with similarities and differences across geographical,socio-cultural and policy contexts. This book will be of interest to researchers and students of sociology, development, gender, economics, environmental studies and South Asian studies. It will also be useful for policymakers, NGOs and think tanks working in the areas of gender, climate change and development.

This book is designed as a supplement to an introductory undergraduate or graduate course for mathematics, science and engineering students of all disciplines. the text covers all major aspects of engineering statistics, including descriptive statistics, probability and probability distributions, statistical test and confidence intervals for one and two samples and curve fitting, correlation, regression, chi-square tests, and analysis of variance. The book continues to maintain a student-friendly approach and numerical problem solving orientation. Presentations are limited to very basic topics to serve as an introduction to advance topics in those areas of discipline. The purpose of the book is to present the principles and concepts of Probability and Statistics as relevant to student learning.

In 1994, BRAC, the world's largest NGO, made headlines by putting women's rights centre stage in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world. The Gender Quality Action Learning (GQAL) Programme was one of the very first large-scale efforts to mainstream gender equality and aimed to weave objectives of gender equality throughout its own microfinance, education and health services. Advancing Gender Equality in Bangladesh describes the history, implementation, and outcome of this major 20-year initiative and discusses the lessons learnt throughout the fight to achieve gender equality outcomes in an effort to provide a tangible framework for future organizations interested in promoting gender equality and social inclusion. At a time when many gender equality programmes are still relatively young, this book offers a unique opportunity to track 20 years of intervention within a theoretical and cultural context and provides a platform for ongoing discussion about the roles of empowerment and gender transformation as agents for social change. This book provides an in-depth analysis of how strategies for change have operated in practice and will be of considerable interest to students, researchers and practitioners of international development, gender studies and social justice theory as well as those interested in a new practical methodology of the gender role framework.

The essential guide to recovering from concussion and other brain injuries. Recovering from a brain injury can be a challenging and prolonged process. Learn how to maximize your recovery from the effects of brain injuries with the guidance of Sandeep Vaishnavi, MD, PhD, and Vani Rao, MBBS, MD, two leading medical experts with extensive experience helping patients recover from concussion and other brain injuries. Healing the Traumatized Brain explains how the brain works, how injuries affect the brain, and how to use your brain's own power to recover. This detailed guide contains essential information on: • The emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical effects following concussion and other brain injuries • Medication options and lifestyle changes • Practical strategies for healing, including stress management, behavioral therapy, and cognitive rehabilitation • Neuroplasticity and nutrition as they affect recovery • Behavioral disorders, balance disorders, and hormonal changes following concussion and other brain injuries • The effects of coexisting factors such as other medical problems, recreational drug use, the misuse of prescribed medications, and poor sleep hygiene • The science associated with repeated brain trauma and promising therapies on the horizon Building on the work of Vaishnavi and Rao's best-selling book The Traumatized Brain, this guide is filled with practical information and tips for coping with concussion, injury from a stroke, and other brain injuries.

A "health disparity" refers to a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one group relative to another. These disparities may be due to many factors including age, income, race, etc. This book will focus on their estimation, ranging from classical approaches including the quantification of a disparity, to more formal modelling, to modern approaches involving more flexible computational approaches. Features: * Presents an overview of methods and applications of health disparity estimation * First book to synthesize research in this field in a unified statistical framework * Covers classical approaches, and builds to more modern computational techniques * Includes many worked examples and case studies using real data * Discusses available software for estimation The book is designed primarily for researchers and graduate students in biostatistics, data science, and computer science. It will also be useful to many quantitative modelers in genetics, biology, sociology, and epidemiology.

Features Focus on the foundational theory underpinning Reinforcement Learning Suitable as a primary text for courses in Reinforcement Learning, but also as supplementary reading for applied/financial mathematics, programming, and other related courses Suitable for a professional audience of quantitative analysts or industry specialists Blends theory/mathematics, programming/algorithms and real-world financial nuances while always striving to maintain simplicity and to build intuitive understanding.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business, and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction explores strategies of pricing products (goods and services) that can be employed by a firm. The analytical techniques and data necessary for implementing the pricing strategies are described in an easy-to-understand manner, along with examples. Pricing strategies covered include cost-plus, reference value pricing, product line pricing, pricing product bundles, pricing over time, pricing under competition, and subscription pricing. Key Features: Analytics for implementing price strategies and practice of auctions and several novel pricing strategies such as pay-what-you wish pricing, freemium pricing, and neuro pricing Exploration of the concept of willingness to pay Review of important behavioral aspects useful in designing and implementing pricing strategies Business students, both undergraduate and MBA, professional pricing executives and marketing managers alike will appreciate the depth of knowledge provided in this Advanced Introduction to Pricing Strategy and Analytics.

The book "Analysis and Design of Control Systems using MATLAB", is designed as a supplement to an introductory course in feedback control systems for undergraduate or graduate engineering students of all disciplines. Feedback control systems engineering is a multidisciplinary subject and presents a control engineering methodology based on mathematical fundamentals and stresses physical system modeling.This book includes the coverage of classical methods of control systems engineering: introduction to control systems, matrix analysis, Laplace transforms, mathematical modeling of dynamic systems, control system representation, performance and stability of feedback systems, analysis and design of feedback control systems, state space analysis and design, and MATLAB basics and MATLAB tutorial. The numerous worked examples offer detailed explanations, and guide the students through each set of problems to enable them to save a great deal of time and effort in arriving at an understanding of problems in this subject. Extensive references to guide the students to further sources of information on control systems and MATLAB is provided. In addition to students, practising engineers will also find this book immensely useful.

Environmental and Health Management of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) examines mitigation measures that can be adopted at the time of a novel coronavirus outbreak to lessen environmental contamination and impacts on human health. The book discusses origin, structure and pathogenesis, epidemiology, environmental transmission and the potential spread routes of COVID-19 via surfaces, air, water, wastewater, medical waste and food products. It also covers guidelines and protocols for setting safety conditions to provide adequate health care and reduce the risk of infection in health and non-healthcare settings, along with preventative measures and disinfection technologies. In addition, the book discusses challenges, opportunities and future perspectives, the global crisis, and global consequences on the environment and health. With contributions from experts, this book presents a multidisciplinary reference resource for virologists, microbiologists, public health professionals, environmental health managers and others engaged in the study and mitigation of the environmental and health impacts of the virus.

This book compiles the fundamentals of friction in manufacturing processes, and the application of tribology in advanced manufacturing. Covering topics such as 3D printing, green lubrication, laser sintering and industry 4.0, the book enables cost effective and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Reducing energy consumption, production time and cost and improving plant productivity, sustainable tribology is a key part of modern manufacturing processes. With a key focus on broadening the application of tribology in sustainable manufacturing, the book integrates cutting edge research from international contributors. Topics included involve machine learning, micro-machining, friction stir welding and metal forming. It also discusses the tribological properties of advanced materials and coatings, and how to model tribology in manufacturing processes. This book will be of interest to engineers and students in the field of machining, tribology, additive manufacturing, surface engineering and coating.

1) Enables engineers to create sustainable components for machines 2) Enables engineers to improve the life of machine components, saving money and lessening wear 3) Presents advancements in materials and technologies to prevent friction in industrial systems 4) Demonstrates tribology's relevance to Industry 4.0 5) Discusses bearings, gears, composite materials and surface engineering

Business intelligence (BI) has evolved over several years as organizations have extended their online transaction processing (OLTP) capabilities and applications to support their routine operations. With online analytical processing (OLAP), organizations have also established the capability to extract internal and external data from a variety of sources to specifically obtain intelligence about non-routine and often less-structured arrangements. BI therefore refers to applications and technologies that are used to gather, provide access to, and analyze data and information about the operations of an organization. It has the capability of providing comprehensive insight into the more volatile factors affecting the business and its operations, thereby facilitating enhanced decision-making quality and contributing to the creation of business value. Larger and more sophisticated organizations have long been exploiting these capabilities. Business Intelligence for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) guides SMEs in replicating this experience to provide an agile roadmap toward business sustainability. The book points out that successful BI implementations have generated significant increases in revenue and cost savings, however, the failure rates are also very high. More importantly, it emphasizes that a full range of BI capabilities is not the exclusive purview of large organizations. It shows how SMEs make extensive use of BI techniques to develop the kind of agility endowing them with the organizational capability to sense and respond to opportunities and threats in an increasingly dynamic business environment. It points to the way to a market environment in which smaller organizations could have a larger role. In particular, the book explains that by establishing the agility to leverage internal and external data and information assets, SMEs can enhance their competitiveness by having a comprehensive understanding of the key to an agile roadmap for business sustainability.

This comprehensive textbook covers both classical and geometric aspects of optimization using methods, deterministic and stochastic in a single volume and in a language accessible to non-mathematicians. It will help serve as an ideal study material for senior undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of civil, mechanical, aerospace, electrical, electronics and communication engineering. The book: Derivative-based Methods of Optimization Direct Search Methods of Optimization Basics of Riemannian Differential Geometry Geometric methods of optimization using Riemannian Langevin Dynamics Stochastic Analysis on Manifolds and Geometric Optimization Methods This textbook comprehensively treats both classical and geometric optimization methods, including deterministic and stochastic (Monte Carlo) schemes. It offers an extensive coverage of important topics including derivative-based methods, penalty function methods, method of gradient projection, evolutionary methods, geometric search using Riemannian Langevin dynamics and stochastic dynamics on manifolds. The textbook is accompanied by online resources including MATLAB codes which are uploaded on our website. The textbook is primarily written for senior undergraduate and graduate students in all applied science and engineering disciplines and can be used as main or supplementary texts for courses on classical and geometric optimization.

This book studies India's evolving naval engagements with other nations of the Indian Ocean region. It traces the growth of the Indian Navy and discusses its role as an instrument of meeting national objectives, particularly for furthering foreign policy. The volume analyses themes such as Indian Navy's (IN) transition from a brown water to blue water force, Indian maritime debates and doctrines, naval 'bridge-building' missions, and Sino-Indian maritime competitions. It examines Indian Navy's regional roles within the broader framework of its diplomatic objectives in particular regions and looks at how keen regional states are to accept India as a crisis manager and would allow it to build a regional maritime security architecture. The author also discusses state control over naval diplomatic roles and investigates if Indian Navy can effectively hedge extra-regional, mainly Chinese, involvement in the Indian Ocean. An important study of India's naval prowess, this book will be indispensable to students and researchers of political science, international relations, maritime and naval studies, strategic studies, geopolitics, defence studies, conflict studies, diplomacy, Indian Ocean studies, South Asian studies and those interested in India-China maritime rivalry.