From ultra-light flying to vibrating bombs, "The Cactus Flower" offers an array of short stories, personal memoirs, and poetry that reflect the life of author Keith Neale Ward. The selections address the realities of family, the adventures of youth, the inspirational messages of life, and the knowledge gained from experience.

In the lead fiction story, The Thinking Man, an interesting phenomenon occurs when The Director combines the occupants of two separate, but adjoining auditoriums. An inspirational entry, Infinite Possibilities, tells the story of one of Ward s more unique engineering professors who challenges the law of gravity. In A Shot in the Dark, Ward narrates the account of employing a unique solution to rescue his brother, Ricky, from a Cleveland pool hall.

In "The Cactus Flower," Ward shares his experiences and the lessons learned during his lifetime. Some humorous and entertaining, others inspirational and moving, the stories reiterate Ward s contention that something special happens during every encounter, every day. The key is to share the joy of these experiences with other people.

In today's increasingly competitive communications environment, Quality of Service (QoS) is of paramount importance in the battle to win market share. However, the enhanced expectations of customers and the introduction of many new services and technologies makes comprehending and meeting customer requirements a real challenge. Building on the issues covered in Quality of Service in Telecommunications (1997), this book examines the technical, service and human issues that need to be addressed in order to provide a level of QoS that will meet those requirements. One key objective is to increase the reader's understanding of the importance of QoS and to show how the concepts presented can be applied to the reader's own circumstances. This book provides a comprehensive overview of definitions and standards, frameworks and models, network performance, internet, mobile and satellite services, the impact on customers, external drivers, economics, fraud and security and future trends. The authors, established experts in their fields, have wide-ranging experience in both UK and US telecommunications companies, reflecting the global nature of this industry and the universal concept of QoS.

Designing World Class Corporate Strategies considers the key role of corporate centres within very large, primarily multi-business organisations. At present, these corporate centres are under attack as not creating and value and merely adding cost to their groups.
The authors have developed a corporate configurations model which demonstrates four ways in which corporate centres can add significant value. However this requires the centre to act in specific ways depending on the external environment in which the group is operating.
Designing World Class Corporate Strategies is highly readable, with a large number of illustrative examples included in the text. Academic references and theoretical underpinnings are placed in the final chapter of the book, so that the book is focused on the professional market for strategy and creating value.
*The examples used are from very well known multi-national organisations in order to make the book attractive in international markets.
*Tackles important issues incorporating theoretical and practical dimensions.

First published in 2002. This is Volume XII of twelve in the Library of Philosophy series on Ethics. Written in 1970, this book seeks to elucidate the fundamental characteristics of Christian ethics. The main concern has been with what is of most vital concern to the moral philosopher-the exposition of the formal characteristics of a system of morality rather than with the detail of its content and application.

This book presents a radical new picture of natural order. The Newtonian idea of a cosmos ruled by universal and exceptionless laws has been superseded; replaced by a conception of nature as a realm of diverse powers, potencies, and dispositions, a 'dappled world'. There is order in nature, but it is more local, diverse, piecemeal, open, and emergent than Newton imagined. In each chapter expert authors expound the historical context of the idea of laws of nature, and explore the diverse sorts of order actually presupposed by work in physics, biology, and the social sciences. They consider how human freedom might be understood, and explore how Newton's idea of a 'universal designer' might be revised, in this new context. They argue that there is not one unified totalizing program of science, aiming at the completion of one closed causal system. We live in an ordered universe, but we need to rethink the classical idea of the 'laws of nature' in a more dynamic and creatively diverse way.

Straddling the boundaries between science, religion, and philosophy, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the current cultural war between atheism and belief A wide ranging and informed discussion that addresses the key questions raised by the New Atheists, this engaging and stimulating read debunks the notion that rationality and intelligence are incompatible with belief in God. If the New Atheists are to be believed, religious belief is dangerous and irrational. With increasingly intolerant polemic they are dismissing the views of religious people, and misconstruing them in the process. Written with wit, style, and clarity of meaning, this book directly addresses many of the main criticisms raised by the New Atheists--such as "Does God cause evil? Is the universe intelligently designed? Is God free?"--and is an indispensable read for anyone interested in the arguments for and against religious belief.

* Challenging and provocative book * Shows how management accounting techniques can be integrated into the strategic decision making process * Extensive use of practical examples from a variety of contexts.An introduction to business strategy for management accountants, financial accountants or managers with an accounting orientation. The book places management accounting clearly within the context of strategic management of the business. Offers qualified accountants a sound introduction to strategic management, and with practical examples and mini-cases provided throughout, this book is comprehensive yet concise. Keith Ward addresses strategic management accounting as a continuous process of analysis, planning and control. Management accounting is about supplying the right information to the right people at the right time, and this can only be expressed in the context of the business strategy and strategic plan. The implementation of appropriate management accounting systems to complement different strategies is discussed in detail. Applications and examples include multinational organizations, non-profit organizations and varying organizational structures. Finally the author covers methods of using management accounting for strategic advantage.

First published in 2002. This is Volume XII of twelve in the Library of Philosophy series on Ethics. Written in 1970, this book seeks to elucidate the fundamental characteristics of Christian ethics. The main concern has been with what is of most vital concern to the moral philosopher-the exposition of the formal characteristics of a system of morality rather than with the detail of its content and application.

The work of a sports therapist is highly technical and requires a confident, responsible and professional approach. The Routledge Handbook of Sports Therapy, Injury Assessment and Rehabilitation is a comprehensive and authoritative reference for those studying or working in this field and is the first book to comprehensively cover all of the following areas: Sports Injury Aetiology Soft Tissue Injury Healing Clinical Assessment in Sports Therapy Clinical Interventions in Sports Therapy Spinal and Peripheral Anatomy, Injury Assessment and Management Pitch-side Trauma Care Professionalism and Ethics in Sports Therapy The Handbook presents principles which form the foundation of the profession and incorporates a set of spinal and peripheral regional chapters which detail functional anatomy, the injuries common to those regions, and evidence-based assessment and management approaches. Its design incorporates numerous photographs, figures, tables, practitioner tips and detailed sample Patient Record Forms. This book is comprehensively referenced and multi-authored, and is essential to anyone involved in sports therapy, from their first year as an undergraduate, to those currently in professional practice.

Is the mind just a by-product of the brain? Or is mind the fundamental reality, which creates matter? In The Priority of Mind, Keith Ward mounts a definitive defence of mind as prior to matter. In an accessible style, he unpacks the sources and abilities of the mind, situates it in the wider world, or cosmos, and proposes a relation between mind and virtue, and the nature of mind after death. Along the way, he explores the different philosophical approaches to the mind-matter question taken by thinkers over time, settling on idealism as the teaching of most classical philosophers, and as most consistent with modern science. Lay readers and scholars alike will relish Ward's clear, methodical exposition, and his counterarguments against the materialist narrative that dominates much of popular philosophical thinking today.  

Extraordinary performance from ordinary people is a must read for the high performing manager with the ambition to reach corporate leadership status. The book is as practical as it is exciting. How to succeed and which personal qualities are required from those who display the capability for great responsibility, are the themes that run throughout. The book focuses on both the key value adding activities and disciplines for driving through change and the styles of corporate leaders that attract successExtraordinary performance from ordinary people highlights how the leaders of the company, as a corporate team, can adopt and adapt the four value creating styles. It emphasises how to recognise which leadership framework suits the challenges of particular competitive environments. This insight nurtures a confidence to act decisively adopting an approach to communication which harnesses the energies of the organisation to achieve stretching performance targets. It concentrates on how leaders make a difference by what they do. Diagnostic models that show what really works and under which circumstances are core to this book.

* Challenging and provocative book * Shows how management accounting techniques can be integrated into the strategic decision making process * Extensive use of practical examples from a variety of contexts.An introduction to business strategy for management accountants, financial accountants or managers with an accounting orientation. The book places management accounting clearly within the context of strategic management of the business. Offers qualified accountants a sound introduction to strategic management, and with practical examples and mini-cases provided throughout, this book is comprehensive yet concise.
Keith Ward addresses strategic management accounting as a continuous process of analysis, planning and control. Management accounting is about supplying the right information to the right people at the right time, and this can only be expressed in the context of the business strategy and strategic plan. The implementation of appropriate management accounting systems to complement different strategies is discussed in detail. Applications and examples include multinational organizations, non-profit organizations and varying organizational structures. Finally the author covers methods of using management accounting for strategic advantage.
Challenging and provocative book
Shows how management accounting techniques can be integrated into the strategic decision making process
Extensive use of practical examples from a variety of contexts

Designing World Class Corporate Strategies considers the key role of corporate centres within very large, primarily multi-business organisations. At present, these corporate centres are under attack as not creating and value and merely adding cost to their groups. The authors have developed a corporate configurations model which demonstrates four ways in which corporate centres can add significant value. However this requires the centre to act in specific ways depending on the external environment in which the group is operating. Designing World Class Corporate Strategies is highly readable, with a large number of illustrative examples included in the text. Academic references and theoretical underpinnings are placed in the final chapter of the book, so that the book is focused on the professional market for strategy and creating value.

Although Christianity is the world's largest religion, with its numerous denominations, and differing opinions on many central tenets, it can be a difficult faith to understand. In this unique and authoritative introduction, renowned theologian Keith Ward examines differing Christian perspectives on themes ranging from original sin to eternal life, and reveals a wonderfully multifaceted tradition united in a common belief, whose impact has been felt in the most remote areas of the planet.

High profile author, particularly appreciated for his books popularizing theology

In this book, eminent theologian Keith Ward takes a fresh look at the ancient philosophy of Idealism, connects it with findings in modern science, and shows that a combination of good science, good philosophy, and a passion for truth and goodness, can underpin religious faith. Going back to first principles, he argues for the Idealist view that all knowledge begins with experience. Critically examining the idealism of Plato, Kant, and Hegel, Ward shows how this philosophy is strengthened by a knowledge of modern physics, and how it can lead to a new and vivid presentation of Christian faith. A work of philosophical rigour that makes clear the rational nature of belief in God, this book challenges the easy assumptions of materialism and the relativity of truth that undermine both science and religion. Ward writes in an accessible and readable style that gives new life and practical usefulness to idealist philosophy.

Though little can be known with certainty about the historical Jesus, the image of a heavenly figure - `Christ crucified and risen' - was constructed out of his life and teachings. This vision of divine reality transcends traditional Hebrew poetic thought, retaining its ancient power in the context of our new understanding of a vast and evolving cosmos. In order to help us form a truly contemporary Christian spirituality, Keith Ward (writing in our own time and place rather than, for example, in the 4th century like St Augustine, the 14th like Julian of Norwich, the 16th like Ignatius of Loyola, or the 20th like Thomas Merton) offers a set of reflections on what he believes to be the unique and life-transforming revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. And as we explore the spiritual truths relating to this mystery as expressed in the Gospels, meditation leads naturally to prayer.

Language about God is something like the language of poetry - The poetic use of language is not to increase your information about the world. We know facts about the world without having poetry. The use of words in poetry is to evoke in us a certain attitude or way of looking at things or feeling about things...If this is the use of religious language, what sort of view of the world is it trying to convey? I think we might say it is trying to convey that the world is an expression of a reality beyond it...' Keith Ward unpacks the meaning of the word 'God' and explains why we need to get rid of the crude and unhelpful assumptions that still abound. A book for all who are curious about how God, and God's actions, can be understood today. Intended for people looking for answers to life's biggest questions, this little book of guidance will appeal to anyone, whether believer or non-believer, looking for a quick and easy way into the topic.