To strategically plan the future of a business, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the business and its position in the marketplace. This knowledge must be gathered through a comprehensive analysis of the organization, its suppliers, and customers. It is critical to review the tools and techniques that are available to develop a complete picture of the strength and value of a company and its internal interactions and relationships, together with the surrounding environment of competition and other factors that will enable planners to reliably assess the possibilities for the strategic direction for the organization. Insufficient attention is currently being given in business studies to achieve critical, useful information for the strategic development of an organization. Critical Analysis and Architecture for Strategic Business Planning seeks to fill current gaps in business and operations research by highlighting the need for greater focus on the research and analysis required to obtain the right kind of information pertaining to the effective business development of an organization. This publication examines the literature for best practices for business research and analysis, which would lead to obtaining the most advantageous information for guiding business and organizations. Covering topics such as business planning, information systems, and competitive advantage, it is an essential resource for managers, business leaders, business strategists, consultants, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

The integration of recent technological advances into modern business processes has allowed for greater efficiency and productivity. However, while such improvements are immensely beneficial, the modeling and coordination of these activities offers a unique set of challenges that must be addressed. Business Architectures for Risk Assessment and Strategic Planning: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a pivotal reference source for the latest research findings on the utilization of business models and value propositions in modern enterprises. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant areas such as management information systems, business planning, and value analysis, this publication is an ideal resource for information system practitioners, universities and colleges, business managers, and advanced-level students seeking the latest research on achievements in this field.

Through the application of information architecture principles, the development of a comprehensible strategic planning process and a useable planning document together will provide an effective solution to any business s strategic planning problems. Applying Principles from IT Architecture to Strategic Business Planning describes the principles of IT architecture to develop the creation of an information model of business strategic requirements. Highlighting the importance of organizational goals within a business, this book is an essential read for employees on a managerial and executive level who are involved in the organizational development of a company.

Mahler measure, a height function for polynomials, is the central theme of this book. It has many interesting properties, obtained by algebraic, analytic and combinatorial methods. It is the subject of several longstanding unsolved questions, such as Lehmer's Problem (1933) and Boyd's Conjecture (1981). This book contains a wide range of results on Mahler measure. Some of the results are very recent, such as Dimitrov's proof of the Schinzel-Zassenhaus Conjecture. Other known results are included with new, streamlined proofs. Robinson's Conjectures (1965) for cyclotomic integers, and their associated Cassels height function, are also discussed, for the first time in a book.One way to study algebraic integers is to associate them with combinatorial objects, such as integer matrices. In some of these combinatorial settings the analogues of several notorious open problems have been solved, and the book sets out this recent work. Many Mahler measure results are proved for restricted sets of polynomials, such as for totally real polynomials, and reciprocal polynomials of integer symmetric as well as symmetrizable matrices. For reference, the book includes appendices providing necessary background from algebraic number theory, graph theory, and other prerequisites, along with tables of one- and two-variable integer polynomials with small Mahler measure. All theorems are well motivated and presented in an accessible way. Numerous exercises at various levels are given, including some for computer programming. A wide range of stimulating open problems is also included. At the end of each chapter there is a glossary of newly introduced concepts and definitions. Around the Unit Circle is written in a friendly, lucid, enjoyable style, without sacrificing mathematical rigour. It is intended for lecture courses at the graduate level, and will also be a valuable reference for researchers interested in Mahler measure. Essentially self-contained, this textbook should also be accessible to well-prepared upper-level undergraduates.

Many areas of active research within the broad field of number theory relate to properties of polynomials, and this volume displays the most recent and most interesting work on this theme. The 2006 Number Theory and Polynomials workshop in Bristol drew together international researchers with a variety of number-theoretic interests, and the book's contents reflect the quality of the meeting. Topics covered include recent work on the Schur-Siegel-Smyth trace problem, Mahler measure and its generalisations, the merit factor problem, Barker sequences, K3-surfaces, self-inversive polynomials, Newman's inequality, algorithms for sparse polynomials, the integer transfinite diameter, divisors of polynomials, non-linear recurrence sequences, polynomial ergodic averages, and the Hansen-Mullen primitivity conjecture. With surveys and expository articles presenting the latest research, this volume is essential for graduates and researchers looking for a snapshot of current progress in polynomials and number theory.

To strategically plan the future of a business, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the business and its position in the marketplace. This knowledge must be gathered through a comprehensive analysis of the organization, its suppliers, and customers. It is critical to review the tools and techniques that are available to develop a complete picture of the strength and value of a company and its internal interactions and relationships, together with the surrounding environment of competition and other factors that will enable planners to reliably assess the possibilities for the strategic direction for the organization. Insufficient attention is currently being given in business studies to achieve critical, useful information for the strategic development of an organization. Critical Analysis and Architecture for Strategic Business Planning seeks to fill current gaps in business and operations research by highlighting the need for greater focus on the research and analysis required to obtain the right kind of information pertaining to the effective business development of an organization. This publication examines the literature for best practices for business research and analysis, which would lead to obtaining the most advantageous information for guiding business and organizations. Covering topics such as business planning, information systems, and competitive advantage, it is an essential resource for managers, business leaders, business strategists, consultants, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

Emotions are at the very heart of individual and communal actions. They influence our social and interpersonal behaviour and affect our perspectives on culture, history, politics, and morality. Emotions, Community, and Citizenship is a pioneering work that brings together scholars from an array of disciplines in order to challenge and unite the disciplinary divides in the study of emotions. These carefully selected studies highlight how emotions are studied within various disciplines with particular attention to the divide between naturalistic and interpretive approaches. The editors of this volume have provided a nuanced and insightful introduction and conclusion which provide not only an overarching commentary but a framework for the interdisciplinary approach to emotion studies.