As the world's population continues to grow, there is an ever increasing need for huge investment in basic infrastructure: water and sewage, energy production and distribution, transportation and telecommunication. At the same time, infrastructure systems in developed countries are deteriorating and in need of renewal. Today, many of the engineering and economic problems surrounding infrastructure construction projects have been solved, but the threat of social misalignments and political conflicts renders the development and management of such projects more challenging than ever before. This book presents a new theoretical framework that allows us to analyze the institutional and social movement processes, both negative and positive, that surround global infrastructure projects as they confront cross-national and cross-sectoral (such as private-public partnerships) institutional differences. The value of this framework is illustrated through a series of studies on a wide range of infrastructure projects, including roads, railroads, ports, airports, water supply and energy pipelines.

Since World War II "victim consciousness" (higaisha ishiki) has been an essential component of Japanese pacifist national identity. In his meticulously crafted narrative and analysis, James Orr reveals how postwar Japanese elites and American occupying authorities collaborated to structure the parameters of remembrance of the war, including the notion that the emperor and his people had been betrayed and duped by militarists. Fluently written and flawlessly executed, The Victim as Hero will contribute greatly to the discourses on nationalism and war responsibility in Japan.

The annual Journal of the Scottish Mountaineering Club has maintained a continuous record of mountain activities in Scotland since 1890 - 116 years of unbroken publication. The 2007 Journal includes amongst its articles: The Last of the Grand Old Masters - Tom Patey, a personal memoir by Dennis Gray; Brief History of the IAS Hillwalking Club; Bouldering with Ghosts by John Watson; Close Encounters with Tom Weir, by Ken Crocket; We Never Knew her Name by Gavin Anderson; Through the Eyes of the Owl by Ian Mitchell; Back in Gear by Carl Schaschke; Red Fly the Banners Oh! By lain Smart; Death by Misadventure by Alan Mullin; Time for Tea by Phil Gribbon; Who Needs the Himalayas by Brian Davison; and, Untrodden Ways by P J Biggar.In this Journal there are 85 pages of new climbs plus the latest list of recent Munro baggers, book reviews and more. It also contains colour photo sections.

An annual journal of the Scottish Mountaineering Club.

Embroiled in the Civil War, northerners wrote and spoke with frequency about the subject of loyalty. The word was common in newspaper articles, political pamphlets, and speeches, appeared on flags, broadsides, and prints, was written into diaries and letters and the stationary they appeared on, and even found its way into sermons. Its ubiquity suggests that loyalty was an important concept...but what did it mean to those who used it? Contested Loyalty examines the significance of loyalty across fault lines of gender, social class, and education, race and ethnicity, and political or religious affiliation. These differing vantage points reveal the complicated ways in which loyalties were defined, prioritized, acted upon, and related. While most of the scholarly work on Civil War Era nationalism has focused on southern identity and Confederate nationhood, the essays in Contested Loyalty examine the variable, fluid constructions of these concepts in the north. Essays explore the limitations and incomplete nature of national loyalty and how disparate groups struggled to control its meaning. The authors move beyond the narrow partisan debate over Democratic dissent to examine other challenges to and competing interpretations of national loyalty. Today's leading and emerging scholars examine loyalty through: the frame of politics at the state and national level; the viewpoints of college educated men as well as the women they courted; the attitudes of northern Protestant churches on issues of patriotism and loyalty; working class men and women in military industries; how employers could use the language of loyalty to take away the rights of workers; and the meaning of loyalty in contexts of race and ethnicity. The Union cause was a powerful ideology committing millions of citizens, in the ranks and at home, to a long and bloody war. But loyalty to the Union cause imperfectly explains how citizens reacted to the traumas of war or the ways in which conflicting loyalties played out in everyday life. The essays in this collection point us down the path of greater understanding.

Redundant employees. Storerooms full of extra stock in case we need it. Marketing money sprayed in all directions in the vain hope it will create customers. Duplicate IT systems. HR policies that fatten the corporate waistline rather than keeping it trim. Budgeting exercises that result in more of the same, plus 2%. Nearly every corner of most established businesses harbors waste--wasted money, time, effort, or all three. As any runner can tell you, a lean body runs faster and wins races. The same goes when it comes to the competitive race all businesses engage in. Lean companies innovate faster, market more effectively, operate more smoothly, and achieve greater profitability. Eliminating Waste in Business: Run Lean, Boost Profitability highlights common ways that businesses across all industries waste money without realizing it. Taking an analytical, hands-on view, this book challenges universally accepted business practices--some even taught in business schools--by pointing out how these practices drive waste, and then showing how to eliminate it and reap the benefits. In seven meaty chapters, operations expert Dave J. Orr, and sales and marketing authority Linda M.Orr tackle some of the obvious and easy-to-get-rid-of organizational fat and time wasters (meetings, anyone?) that for whatever reason many managers are blind to. They'll also show you how to employ lean six sigma and other methods to improve improve operational processes, inventory management, and more. But this book goes beyond these things and covers such areas as marketing and advertising spend, headcount and personnel administration, finance, and the many categories that make up what is in many companies a bloated monster: overhead. With an emphasis on employing technology and smart management to drive down costs, this book will take a comprehensive view of the broad spectrum of money and time wasters and show you how to get rid of them once and for all.What you'll learn * The areas in which companies waste the most resources * How established practice drives businesses and business leaders to waste money * How to distinguish waste from value * How to avoid cutting bone and muscle along with waste * How to use various analytical and technical tools to eliminate waste * How to use technology to drive down costs in all areas * How to calculate ROI in each business category and improve it by doing more with less Who this book is for Eliminating Waste in Business is designed for any business leader from basic supervisors to C-Suite executives. The concepts will apply to all managers, including those in nonprofit and government positions, and those in any industry or sector. A secondary market for this book is MBA students. Students often learn commonly accepted business and human resource practices in MBA courses, but they have no idea that, in the real world, many of these practices create waste.

John Ballard and his constant companion Barnard Maude were spies seemingly living by the motto `Trust no One`. Ironically, they appear to have trusted one another and claimed to be soldiers surveying possible road routes. Under the tutelage of Ayrshire farmer, Mackenzie Cunninghame, they learnt to be cattle drovers and travelled Scotland establishing the strength and location of support for Mary, Queen of Scots. Ballard, a Jesuit Priest, Catholic missionary and advocate of restoring Mary to the throne of England also favoured a Spanish invasion and the assassination of Queen Elizabeth I. He was much involved in the Babington Plot and was executed for it. He trusted Barnard Maude who was in fact an English spy for Sir Francis Walsingham, who thus knew of Ballard`s intrigues, and those of Sir Anthony Babington, which enabled Walsingham to entrap Mary Queen of Scots for treason. Mackenzie Cunninghame, the enigmatic farmer from Coylton, unwittingly became a part of the English spy network.

UPDATED for 2014 This is perhaps the most encompassing, yet easy-to-understand book on the vital and timely topic of Social Security retirement income planning. It is written by an experienced Certified Financial Planner for soon-to-be retirees who want to learn all about the different claiming strategies for couples and for single persons (whether never married, divorced or widowed). Most people have no idea of what some their real benefit options are -- and unfortunately can be prone to miss out on $10,000's. Before describing what readers will find in the book, let me point out that there is purposely nothing written about Social Security DISABILITY income payments or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The book's sole purpose is to provide people who are about to retire, with all of the information that they need to make the best Social Security benefit decisions based on their own financial circumstances and retirement goals. In this respect it is an essential planning guide and road map. A quick scan of the table of contents gives a glimpse of the scope and amount of powerful information provided. However, what the table of contents does not show is how 95% of Social Security recipients (both couples and many singles) will leave up to $50,000 of benefits sitting on the table that cannot be retrieved. This is money that they are fully entitled to, but these folks did not follow the little-known claiming strategies described in this book. It's your money, you paid into the system your whole life - so don't miss out on getting every dollar that you can. There are many useful examples given to show baby boomers the full range of their filing options and how to maximize their lifetime benefits. Written in plain English, these examples are meant to encourage you to carefully consider how you can get the most total benefits available under the law. Perhaps one of the most unique portions of the book is where the author combines his expertise of Social Security with his knowledge of income taxes to show readers how it is very possible to cut ones taxable income and their subsequent retirement income tax bill by 50%. The story comparing the Early's, the Waite's and the Best's is worth ten times the price of the book, as it explains how a savvy reader can save $1,000's of income tax dollars each year during their retirement. The chapter about the 3 buckets of investment risk and the 3 taxation buckets is the perfect complement to learning about filing strategies since Social Security was never meant to provide for all one's retirement income. Not only is this discussion vital for soon-to-be retirees, it should be required reading for every American adult before they EVER invest a single dime anywhere. Don't let the low cost of the book fool you. While reading the book, it becomes very apparent that Mr. Orr actually works in the retirement income planning field on a daily basis with the non-stop tips, warnings, things to consider and much more. Everything is discussed in "real world" terms, not useless academic theory. "Social Security Income Planning" is well organized, concise and written in a conversational style, yet it's jam-packed with all the information you need to maximize your Social Security benefits. The advanced concepts and planning strategies are made so simple, that you will be able to explain them to your co-workers... or even to your financial advisor (who very likely has just a vague understanding of the strategies you are talking about) Finally, the book rightfully stresses how your decision to file for your Social Security benefits should not be made on a "standalone basis." That your claiming decisions should be made in conjunction with your overall retirement income goals, your assets and other income resources, your level of adverseness to risk, your (and your spouse's) likely longevity, etc. Buy this book today and become an educated consumer of your Social Security benefits

A Layman's Guide to the Scottish Reformation relates the story of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and the subsequent trials and tribulations of the nascent Presbyterian Church. Covering the period from about 1530 to 1690 it is one of the busiest periods in Scottish and English history ranging across the reigns of Mary Queen of Scots and the Stuart Kings, James VI/I, Charles I, Charles II and James II. For added spice there are the complications of the Wars of the three kingdoms, rebellion in Ireland, and Cromwell's republican rule of the Commonwealth. Through this heady cocktail of events runs the story of the Presbyterian Kirk, the battle against the Divine Right policies of the Kings' and their demands for uniformity with the Episcopalian Church of England; and, the stubborn dissent and bloody persecution of the Covenanters in their stand for religious freedom. The Guide is the sister work to the author's first book As God is my Witness (Heritage Books Inc, 2002) which told the story of the people of the Reformation. The Guide deals with the events of the Reformation and is very widely referenced to many early works by clerical historians that are mainly now in archives and antiquarian collections. A very substantial and detailed Time Line provides a consecutive record of events. The bulk of the work is in a dictionary format of augmented notes on several hundred topics ranging from the 'Aberdeen Assembly, 1605' to 'Zeal - defence of Presbyterianism.' A substantial Glossary is provided along with a Dramatis Personae of the main character of the Reformation. Lavishly illustrated, it also has a lengthy bibliography as a source for further reading, and some 24 appendices (primarily text) of rare documents relevant to the early history of Presbyterianism.

When to Hire--or Not Hire--a Consultant: Getting Your Money's Worth from Consulting Relationships is a hands-on, practical guide for anyone thinking about hiring a consultant to set strategy, solve problems, increase profits or revenue, develop new products, open new markets, or improve efficiency. Consulting is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States. According to the U.S. government, there were 719,000 consultants in the U.S. in 2010, and you can expect an additional 274,000 by 2020. Cloaked in expert status, consultants might seem to be the answer to many business problems. You call someone in to solve a particular problem or develop new markets, then send them away once the job is done--while reaping the benefits of their expertise. Consultants sometimes do work miracles, but once in a while they wreck a healthy business. And far too often, the benefits gained by calling in consultants disappear far too soon after they leave.Yet as return on investment (ROI) and accountability for results become bigger and bigger issues, business professionals in search of answers to performance or strategy challenges are turning more and more to outside guidance for help. Indeed, few businesses do not use some kind of consultant at some point in their existence. But how can you leverage the skills consultants can bring to the table without adding undue risk to your operations? How can you effectively manage the consultant relationship to get the greatest benefit for the least cost? What metrics can support your decision to hire--or not hire--a consultant? When should you use home-grown talent to solve problems instead? That's what this book is all about. While there is a multitude of books on how to be a consultant, this is the first to help an executive determine when to hire one. You will learn strategies to decide when a consultant is needed and how to support that decision with hard evidence, how to select the right consultant, how to set clear expectations, and how to know when a consultant is either a valuable resource or a hindrance to the company's success.The authors of this book bring together two opposing perspectives. Linda Orr has served as a consultant in many companies and situations, while Dave Orr has hired consultants many times. Together, they can help you make the most strategically and financially sound business decisions. This books shows you how to: * Work through ROI and other issues to support a decision to hire a consultant. * Maximize the benefits consultants can provide. * Explore options other than hiring a consultant. What you'll learn * Where consultants come from and what qualifications you should look for. * How to compute ROI for consultants. * When consultants can be effective and when they cannot be effective. * How to select the right consultant, then set expectations. * How to negotiate a consulting contract. * How to form an effective consulting relationship. * How to fire a consultant who is not adding value. * Your options besides consultants to solve business problems.Who this book is for When to Hire--or Not Hire--a Consultant: Getting Your Money's Worth from Consulting Relationships is designed for owners and managers who need help navigating the decisions to be made and the choices faced when they need--or think they need--outside help. Most companies use consultants occasionally, but many executives have not had the experience of dealing with consultants and using them profitably and effectively. It's also for those who have had a bad experience with consultants and need a better process for ensuring a successful relationship with a consultant. A secondary market for this book is MBA students. Giving that the consulting industry is so large, a basic part of strategy training should be when do you outsource your management decisions. (Linda Orr plans to use this book in her MBA classes.