The actions, images and stories within films can impact upon the political consciousness of viewers, enabling their audience to imagine ways of resisting the status quo, politically, economically and culturally. But what does political theory have to say about film? Should we explore film theory through a political lens? Why might individuals respond to the political within films? This book connects the work of eight radical political theorists to eight world-renowned films and shows how the political impact of film on the aesthetic self can lead to the possibility of political resistance. Each chapter considers the work of a core thinker on film, shows its relevance in terms of a specific case study film, then highlights how these films probe political issues in a way that invites viewers to think critically about them, both within the internal logic of the film and in how that might impact externally on the way they live their lives. Examining this dialogue enables Ian Fraser to demonstrate the possibility of a political impact of films on our own consciousness and identity, and that of others.

This comprehensive volume examines the future effectiveness of regional institutions as well as key questions concerning the attempts to overcome ongoing serious problems of security, governance and poor economic performance in the Pacific. What is obvious from this collection is that a new and stronger commitment to overcoming national problems is required through regional cooperation. The volume is highly suited to courses on international political economy, security and regional cooperation.

This comprehensive volume examines the future effectiveness of regional institutions as well as key questions concerning the attempts to overcome ongoing serious problems of security, governance and poor economic performance in the Pacific. What is obvious from this collection is that a new and stronger commitment to overcoming national problems is required through regional cooperation. The volume is highly suited to courses on international political economy, security and regional cooperation.

Is it possible to be repetitive and flexible at the same time? Using proven examples and quantifiable evidence, Lean RFS (Repetitive Flexible Supply): Putting the Pieces Together demonstrates that repetitive flexible supply (RfS) is not only possible, but that its implementation can help you reach a new level of improved performance in manufacturing and across your entire supply chain.Winner of a 2013 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award, this book is unique in that it clearly spells out the theory and practice originally published in the Shingo Prize winner, Breaking Through to Flow, with actual stories of Kimberly-Clark's experience in using them over the years with great success. These stories provide a real feel of how this learning-by-doing journey led to "aha!" moments for those involved. The book also explains why most planning systems in use today will result in a different plan every time, and that these plan changes are actually the cause of the fire fighting that is endemic in most companies.

Ian Fraser has been a prophet in our land - and far beyond - for the lifetimes of most of us. Now, nearing the end of his life journey, he offers A Storehouse of Kingdom Things: Resources for the Faith Journey. Ian writes: 'Wild Goose Publications guessed that I might be like the householder in the Bible who had a treasure store of things new and old which could be drawn upon.' In this rich and ranging book, Ian reflects on: the banking crisis and the world order, responding to God, getting rid of war, Israel and Palestine, the USA and Cuba, fundamentalism, proselytism and evangelism, hindrances to the full life of the church, church in the becoming, saints made and unmade, waiting watchfully, transcendence, otherness, purity, law and grace, prayer, the theology of fashion, the importance of food-sharing, sexuality and spirituality, atonement, success -

The actions, images and stories within films can impact upon the political consciousness of viewers, enabling their audience to imagine ways of resisting the status quo, politically, economically and culturally. But what does political theory have to say about film? Should we explore film theory through a political lens? Why might individuals respond to the political within films? This book connects the work of eight radical political theorists to eight world-renowned films and shows how the political impact of film on the aesthetic self can lead to the possibility of political resistance. Each chapter considers the work of a core thinker on film, shows its relevance in terms of a specific case study film, then highlights how these films probe political issues in a way that invites viewers to think critically about them, both within the internal logic of the film and in how that might impact externally on the way they live their lives. Examining this dialogue enables Ian Fraser to demonstrate the possibility of a political impact of films on our own consciousness and identity, and that of others.

This is the definitive account of the Royal Bank of Scotland scandal. For a few brief months in 2007 and 2009, the Royal Bank of Scotland was the largest bank in the world. Then the Edinburgh-based giant - having rapidly grown its footprint to 55 countries and stretched its assets to GBP2.4 trillion under its hubristic and delinquent former boss Fred Goodwin - crashed to earth. In Shredded, Ian Fraser explores the series of cataclysmic misjudgments, the toxic internal culture and the 'light touch' regulatory regime that gave rise to RBS/NatWest's near-collapse. He also considers why it became the most expensive bank in the world to bail out and why a culture of impunity was allowed to develop in the banking sector. This new edition brings the story up to date, chronicling the string of scandals that have come to light since taxpayers rescued RBS and concluding with an evaluation of the attempts of the bank's post-crisis chief executives, Stephen Hester and Ross McEwan, to dismantle Goodwin's disastrous legacy and restore the damaged institutions to health. 'A gripping account - RBS was a rogue business, operating in what had become a rogue industry, with the connivance of government. Read it and weep' - Martin Woolf, Financial Times

Is it possible to be repetitive and flexible-at the same time? Using proven examples and quantifiable evidence, Lean RFS (Repetitive Flexible Supply): Putting the Pieces Together demonstrates that repetitive flexible supply (RfS) is not only possible, but that its implementation can help you reach a new level of improved performance in manufacturing and across your entire supply chain. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award, this book is unique in that it clearly spells out the theory and practice originally published in the Shingo Prize winner, Breaking Through to Flow, with actual stories of Kimberly-Clark's experience in using them over the years with great success. These stories provide a real feel of how this learning-by-doing journey led to "aha!" moments for those involved. The book also explains why most planning systems in use today will result in a different plan every time, and that these plan changes are actually the cause of the fire fighting that is endemic in most companies.

Fraser's diverse and wide-ranging book offers an examination of the work of four critically acclaimed novelists, Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Identity), Ian McEwan (Atonement and Saturday), Michel Houellebecq (Atomised and Platform) and J.M. Coetzee (Disgrace and Diary of a Bad Year), to aesthetically explore our understanding of identity. The analysis utilises frameworks from classical and contemporary political, philosophical and social theory to explore the notion of the aesthetic self within these texts. Fraser explores these ideas from within the Marxist aesthetic tradition, using theorists such as Friedrich Nietzsche, G. W. F. Hegel, E.P. Thompson, Julia Kristeva, Henri Lefebvre, Albert Camus, Thomas Aquinas and Theodor Adorno. Fraser therefore offers an innovative and unique approach that breaks new ground by developing a Marxist aesthetic account of identity through the medium of contemporary fiction.

Tristan of Lothian, Tristan of Cornwall, Tristan the Minstrel, Tristan the Defender, Tristan the Avenger, Tristan the Lover-Tristan is all these things and more in the classic story of heroism and true love "Tristan and Isolt," as retold by Ian Fraser. Tristan the Lover takes the reader back 1200 years to the British Isles in the Dark Ages, when Tristan, the valiant champion and passionate lover, is supposed to have lived. The story follows Tristan as he contends with giants and dragons, heroes and cowards, kings and upstarts. Tristan falls in love with Fair Isolt, the betrothed bride of his lord and friend, King Mark. Their tragic love, all-consuming but utterly forbidden, tortures and enraptures them throughout the second half of this beautiful and moving story. The medieval stories about Tristan which I have chiefly used in writing this book are a German poem, Tristan, by Gottfried of Strasburg, a Norse poem, Tristansaga, by Brother Robert and a French poem, Tristan, by Thomas of Brittany. I have also consulted four other French poems about Tristan, one by Beroul, one called Honeysuckle by Marie of France and two by unknown authors called Tristan's Madness. All seven poems were written between 1150 and 1230. I have used two episodes from the later French prose Tristan; but for the most part it tells an inferior story. In English there are only the rhyming Sir Tristrem, a much later and rougher version of Thomas' poem, and in Sir Thomas Malory's famous Morte a"Arthur a poor imitation of the French prose Tristan. I have taken nothing from those two sources. The love-story of Tristan and Isolt contrasts so vividly with the sombre simplicity of early medieval life that it has inspired not only storytellers but many poets and artists. During the Middle Ages it was constantly retold and inspired more artists than any other story except those of the Bible and the Christian saints. In the past one hundred and fifty years it has inspired several important poems and an opera. Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde is still performed; and the long poems of Swinburne, Tennyson and Mathew Arnold are in most libraries. Some of the original medieval literature which is listed above can now be read in scholarly translations; but this book retells the medieval story for the general reader. Ian Fraser.

This is a concise and accessible dictionary of the key terms and concepts in Marx's writings, his major works and influences, from a philosophical perspective. "The Marx Dictionary" is a comprehensive and accessible guide to the world of Karl Marx. Meticulously researched and extensively cross-referenced, this unique book covers all his major works, ideas and influences and provides a firm grounding in the central themes of Marx's thought from a philosophical perspective. Students will discover a wealth of useful information, analysis and criticism. A-Z entries include clear definitions of all the key terms used in Marx's writings, coverage of their German origins, and detailed synopses of all his key works. The Dictionary also includes entries on Marx's major philosophical and political influences and contemporaries. It covers everything that is essential to a sound understanding of Marx's work, offering clear and accessible explanations of often complex terminology. "The Marx Dictionary" is the ideal resource for anyone reading or studying Marx or Nineteenth-Century Political Thought more generally. "The Continuum Philosophy Dictionaries" offer clear and accessible guides to the work of some of the more challenging thinkers in the history of philosophy. A-Z entries provide clear definitions of key terminology, synopses of key works, and details of each thinker's major themes, ideas and philosophical influences. The Dictionaries are the ideal resource for anyone reading or studying these key philosophers.

Research on the internationalization of higher education is underdeveloped and is primarily based on European and American experience. As the second largest economy in the world with 50% of global manufacturing capacity and generating 13% of global GDP, China is a major economic power. Universities are at the cutting edge of the internationalization of China as the source of the skilled workforce required to maintain economic growth and to lead Chinese business into the next phase where they will compete with other multinational companies in third markets. Universities are also a gateway to the outside world with academics having privileged access to international information and opinion. The development of an understanding of the process of strategy formation in Chinese universities will assist foreign universities and government agencies seeking to develop relationships in China. The learnings from this book should also provide practical assistance to foreign corporations looking to establish operations in China or being taken over by Chinese companies. It will also assist those wishing to analyze the reasons for the failures of foreign ventures in China.

Charles Taylor is a philosopher concerned with morality and the nature of the identity of individuals and groups in the modern West. Dr. Fraser offers a critical evaluation of Taylor's conception of the self, and of its moral and political possibilities in modernity, from the perspective of Marxist dialectics, especially as developed in the writings of Bloch, Benjamin and Adorno. What distinguishes this book is its plainly critical intent, aiming more at criticism than exegesis. It includes an up-to-date evaluation of Taylor's most recent, and explicitly religious, work to which older introductions to his thinking had no access. The author is senior lecturer in political theory at Nottingham Trent University. His previous publications include "Hegel and Marx: The Concept of Need" (Edinburgh University Press, 1998).

Much of contemporary psychological research on humor is based on the assumption that a sense of humor is a positive and desirable personality characteristic that enhances psychological health and well-being. Researchers generally assume that individuals with a greater sense of humor possess a number of other desirable traits, such as great optimism, self-acceptance, self-confidence and autonomy. Humorous people are also thought to be able to cope more effectively with stress, to generally experience less negative moods such as depression and anxiety, to enjoy greater physical health, and to have more positive and healthy relationships with others. This book explores the relationship between humor and stress in relation to psychological health and well-being.

This text introduces the concept of need as viewed by Hegel and Marx, and places it within the context of modern need theories and theorists. The book works through key texts, including Hegel's Philosophy of Right and Marx's Capital, and discusses the theory in relation to Soviet Communism and social democracy. * Covers key texts by Hegel and Marx studied by undergraduates on political theory courses * Looks at political implications for modern need theory * Accessible: author makes good use of textual evidence * Need theory is a major element of modern social theory