This book provides an example of a thorough statistical treatment of ocean wave data in space and time. It demonstrates how the flexible framework of Bayesian hierarchical space-time models can be applied to oceanographic processes such as significant wave height in order to describe dependence structures and uncertainties in the data.

This monograph is a research book and it is partly cross-disciplinary. The methodology itself is firmly rooted in the statistical research tradition, based on probability theory and stochastic processes. However, that methodology has been applied to a problem in the field of physical oceanography, analyzing data for significant wave height, which is of crucial importance to ocean engineering disciplines. Indeed, the statistical properties of significant wave height are important for the design, construction and operation of ships and other marine and coastal structures. Furthermore, the book addresses the question of whether climate change has an effect of the ocean wave climate, and if so what that effect might be. Thus, this book is an important contribution to the ongoing debate on climate change, its implications and how to adapt to a changing climate, with a particular focus on the maritime industries and the marine environment.

This book should be of value to anyone with an interest in the statistical modelling of environmental processes, and in particular to those with an interest in the ocean wave climate. It is written on a level that should be understandable to everyone with a basic background in statistics or elementary mathematics, and an introduction to some basic concepts is provided in the appendices for the uninitiated reader. The intended readership includes students and professionals involved in statistics, oceanography, ocean engineering, environmental research, climate sciences and risk assessment. Moreover, the book s findings are relevant for various stakeholders in the maritime industries such as design offices, classification societies, ship owners, yards and operators, flag states and intergovernmental agencies such as the IMO."

Zeithaml/Bitner/Gremler, Services Marketing introduces readers to the vital role that services play in the economy and its future. Services dominate the advanced economies of the world, and virtually all companies view services as critical to retaining their customers. * Managerial focused approach emphasizing the knowledge needed to implement service strategies for competitive advantage across industries. * New chapter on "Artificial Intelligence and Service Robotics" and the implications for service marketing. * New research references and examples in every chapter of new business models such as Airbnb and Uber along with greater emphasis on technology, digital and social marketing, Big Data, and data analytics as a service. * McGraw Hill's Connect provides personalized reading experience with Smartbook, variety of test bank questions and Application-Based Activities supporting critical thinking and application skills development.

If your institution's like most and your gap position (the difference between the repricing periods of a bank's assets and liabilities) is the only interest rate risk you currently measure - then you should be warned: the regulators are coming. New banking regulations require that you keep a close eye not only on gap, but also on other key risks, less obvious on the balance sheet, such as basis risk and imbedded options. Simple gap analysis just isn't enough anymore. And that's just the beginning of what regulators are now asking for. But - even though the array of available sophisticated simulation models and financial tools is bewildering - you needn't worry thanks to this remarkable how-to guide from two leading authorities of the asset/liability management world. Step by step, Bitner and Goddard take you through a concise history of asset/liability management science since the early '80s to help orient newcomers to the field; comprehensive guide to jump-starting an asset/liability management program, including organizing an A/L management committee, writing an interest rate management policy (that states your interest rate risk exposure parameters), and selecting the best risk modeling system; comprehensive arsenal of techniques for identifying, measuring, and managing interest rate risk, including critical forecasting and self-analysis methods that ensure your institution stays on track; total framework for integrating your asset/liability management processes and putting them into action; and helpful section of advice and insights from leading A/L management practitioners. With a record number of failed or failing banks and thrifts on their hands, the regulator's vigilance hasnever been greater. That's why your financial institution needs to identify and measure the impact of a broad range of interest rate movements on its earnings and net value - and why you need Successful Bank Asset/Liability Management.

This volume examines 1 Corinthians 1-4 within first-century politics, demonstrating the significance of Corinth's constitution to the interpretation of Paul's letter. Bradley J. Bitner shows that Paul carefully considered the Roman colonial context of Corinth, which underlay numerous ecclesial conflicts. Roman politics, however, cannot account for the entire shape of Paul's response. Bridging the Hellenism-Judaism divide that has characterised much of Pauline scholarship, Bitner argues that Paul also appropriated Jewish-biblical notions of covenant. Epigraphical and papyrological evidence indicates that his chosen content and manner are best understood with reference to an ecclesial politeia informed by a distinctively Christ-centred political theology. This emerges as a 'politics of thanksgiving' in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and as a 'politics of construction' in 3:5-4:5, where Paul redirects gratitude and glory to God in Christ. This innovative account of Paul's political theology offers fresh insight into his pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies.

Real Estate

One insider's rollercoaster account of the subprime implosion

Richard Bitner founded his own subprime mortgage company just as the industry took off. In five years, he watched his company grow from a tiny operation to a booming business. But something wasn't right...

As housing prices skyrocketed, Bitner watched greed and fraud overtake the industry. Eventually, he became disenchanted after foreclosing on a subprime borrower who was given a legitimate, industry-standard mortgage--a loan Bitner realized never should have been made. Seeing the ugly writing on the wall, he sold his stake in the business before the industry imploded under a mountain of bad debt.

"Confessions of a Subprime Lender" pulls back the curtain on the players who created the subprime disaster, including brokers, lenders, Wall Street investment firms, and rating agencies who worked the system to their advantage. From his unique perspective as a subprime lender, Bitner reveals:

Why nearly three out of every four mortgages were misleading or fraudulent

How unscrupulous brokers tricked lenders and gullible borrowers

How brokers and lenders turned unqualified applicants into "qualified borrowers"

Why Wall Street and the rating agencies are largely to blame for the collapse

Interwoven with dramatic personal anecdotes, "Confessions of a Subprime" "Lender" explains how the subprime industry blew up and concludes with a comprehensive solution for rebuilding it by forcing changes on all the key players.

"Bitner's thorough review of the subprime lending industry provides a behind-the-scenes look at the mortgage mess. From the broker on Main Street to the investor on WallStreet, it's an unabridged version of what went wrong and how it needs to be fixed."
--Bill Dallas, founder, First Franklin Mortgage, one of America's largest subprime lenders, before it collapsed

"This is an in-depth, eye-opening examination of the problems impacting the housing and mortgage markets."
--Matthew McIntyre, CEO, Puritan Financial Group, Inc.

This text comprises of two volumes discussing the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.

First Published in 1985. A collaboration of the latest research on regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.

This book provides an example of a thorough statistical treatment of ocean wave data in space and time. It demonstrates how the flexible framework of Bayesian hierarchical space-time models can be applied to oceanographic processes such as significant wave height in order to describe dependence structures and uncertainties in the data. This monograph is a research book and it is partly cross-disciplinary. The methodology itself is firmly rooted in the statistical research tradition, based on probability theory and stochastic processes. However, that methodology has been applied to a problem in the field of physical oceanography, analyzing data for significant wave height, which is of crucial importance to ocean engineering disciplines. Indeed, the statistical properties of significant wave height are important for the design, construction and operation of ships and other marine and coastal structures. Furthermore, the book addresses the question of whether climate change has an effect of the ocean wave climate, and if so what that effect might be. Thus, this book is an important contribution to the ongoing debate on climate change, its implications and how to adapt to a changing climate, with a particular focus on the maritime industries and the marine environment. This book should be of value to anyone with an interest in the statistical modelling of environmental processes, and in particular to those with an interest in the ocean wave climate. It is written on a level that should be understandable to everyone with a basic background in statistics or elementary mathematics, and an introduction to some basic concepts is provided in the appendices for the uninitiated reader. The intended readership includes students and professionals involved in statistics, oceanography, ocean engineering, environmental research, climate sciences and risk assessment. Moreover, the book’s findings are relevant for various stakeholders in the maritime industries such as design offices, classification societies, ship owners, yards and operators, flag states and intergovernmental agencies such as the IMO.

This book summarizes results of longstanding research and scientific contributions from many projects and relevant working groups. It collects and evaluates wind and wave climate projections under changing climate having design needs and marine safety in focus. Potential impact of projected climate change in met-ocean conditions on ships and offshore structures is discussed and illustrated by an example of the expected wave climate change on tanker design.

Themonograph is intended for students, researchers and industry based engineers who want a summary of the many studies that have been carried out on climate change effects on wind and waves and their importance for design and operations of ship and offshore structures. The reader needs only a moderate knowledge of marine wind and wave climate to follow the text."

Successful businesses recognize that the development of strong customer relationships through quality service (and services) as well as implementing service strategies for competitive advantage are key to their success. In its fourth European edition, Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm provides full coverage of the foundations of services marketing, placing the distinctive Gaps model at the center of this approach. The new edition draws on the most recent research, and using up-to-date and topical examples, the book focuses on the development of customer relationships through service, outlining the core concepts and theories in services marketing today. New and updated material in this new edition includes: * New content related to human resource strategies, including coverage of the role of robots and chatbots for delivering customer-focused services. * New coverage on listening to customers through research, big data, netnography and monitoring user-generated content. * Increased technology, social media and digital coverage throughout the text, including the delivery of services using mobile and digital platforms, as well as through the Internet of Things. * Brand new examples and case studies added from global and innovative companies including Turkish Airlines, Volvo, EasyJet and McDonalds. Available with McGraw-Hill's Connect (R), the well-established online learning platform, which features our award-winning adaptive reading experience as well as resources to help faculty and institutions improve student outcomes and course delivery efficiency.

A dreamlike novel set in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, Here Is a Game We Could Play is the story of Claudia, an intelligent eccentric trapped in the rundown industrial town she grew up in-a place plagued with troubling memories and hidden threats. Seeking escape from tedium, loneliness, and her obsessive fear of poisoning, Claudia retreats into books. . . and into a fantasy life with her perfect lover, to whom she addresses letters about her life, all the while imagining outlandish sexual scenarios. In each fantasy, her lover takes a different form, ranging from a prison guard in a world where metaphor is forbidden, to a more-than-brotherly Hansel from the Grimms' fairy tale, to a tentacled mind-reading space alien. All share a desire for a deep intimacy that eludes Claudia, even as she forms new real-life relationships and reconsiders her sexual identity-building a rapport with an elderly volunteer at the library, striking up a friendship with a wily temp at her dead-end job, and embarking on a passionate affair with Rose, the town's new librarian. When paranoia threatens to ruin her relationship with Rose, Claudia is forced not only to combat her anxiety but to face the unresolved trauma in her past-the disappearance of her father on a night she has long repressed. Funny, dark, inventive, and moving, Here Is a Game We Could Play is an original debut novel recalling the work of Aimee Bender, Angela Carter, Rebecca Brown, and Margaret Atwood.