The Kingdom (2007)
When a terrorist bomb detonates inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, an international incident is ignited. While diplomats slowly debate equations of territorialism, FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) quickly assembles an elite team and negotiates a secret five-day trip into Saudi Arabia to locate the madman behind the bombing. Upon landing in the desert kingdom, however, Fleury and his team discover Saudi authorities suspicious and unwelcoming of American interlopers into what they consider a local matter. Hamstrung by protocol, and with the clock ticking on their five days, the FBI agents find their expertise worthless without the trust of their Saudi counterparts who want to locate the terrorist in their homeland on their own terms. Fleury's crew finds a like-minded partner in Saudi Police Captain Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), who helps them navigate royal politics and unlock the secrets of the crime scene and the workings of an extremist, hell bent on further destruction.

Jarhead (2006)
An adaptation of former Marine Anthony Swofford's Gulf War memoir. Young recruit Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) joins up with the US Marines (nicknamed 'Jarheads' because of their distinctive haircuts) on the eve of the 1990 Gulf War. After a brutal spell in boot camp, during which Swofford and his fellow recruits are systematically geared up for the conflict, the Marines are dispatched to the deserts of the Persian Gulf to take part in a war that sees them required to do very little in the way of fighting. Bored and frustrated in the middle of nowhere, the young soldiers resort to a macabre sense of humour as they wait for the war to happen to them.

This two-volume edited work explores how businesses shape, and are shaped by, sustainability forces and phenomena. Major global developments are inexorably being led by a sustainability agenda, which, in itself constitutes an integral part of business evolution. And as context shapes content, shifts in society have gradually given rise to new regulations, new types of markets, environmental-excellence criteria for businesses, new economic standards, and a wide range of green technologies. Reflecting the purpose of the series, both volumes offer a cross-section of multi-disciplinary perspectives within business studies. Volume 1 focuses on strategic and managerial approaches to sustainability in business, including accounts on the historic origins of sustainability and its contemporary corporate sustainable models. Volume 2 explores, more contextually, how business and social sustainability constitute indivisible and inextricable components of the same nexus. Taken together, they offer an original perspective on how businesses can help achieve the SDG goals and targets.

Entrepreneurial Challenges in the 21st Century analyses the traditional and contemporary issues of entrepreneurial innovation potentials for stakeholder value co-creation, and structures the entrepreneurial co-creation concept to reinforce co-creation.

SMEs are significant job creators and drivers of innovation and competition in most economic sectors. Furthermore, the traditional constraints of small and medium enterprises, such as geographic operations, are now being dissolved by technological developments. This means that there are new opportunities for SMEs, and their fundamental principles are being redefined: the aims, competencies, strategy, management, practice, and scope of these businesses are changing, with wide-ranging implications. This is the second part of a two volume work that incorporates scientific chapters on SME business theory and practice. Authors provide a balanced perspective of the present and future of SMEs across all business disciplines, for example management, strategy, marketing, economics and finance. While Volume I focuses on the individual SME and internal issues such as innovation, quality, and digitization, this second volume explores external issues such as contextual forces, the effects of the financial crisis, and macro-economic effects.

This book explores how contemporary organisations are abandoning conventional tactics in order to survive and grow in an incessantly shifting business landscape, analysing fundamental aspects of management, marketing and strategy from an interdisciplinary perspective. Focusing on the paradigms of neuro-marketing, innovative change management, motivational creativity, and customer data management, to name a few, the authors provide practical learning outcomes which reflect how organisations are seeking to adopt innovative means to innovative ends, targeting capacity building in multiple ways. Ultimately, this edited collection implicitly defines an organisational philosophy that incorporates functionality, but also embraces business notions pertaining to wider contextual transformations and environmental developments. Theoretical and practical contributions highlight the importance of multidisciplinary research to practical business success, making this book an invaluable read to both scholars and business executives.

The material of this book encompasses many disciplines, including visible,

infrared, far infrared, millimeter wave, microwave, radar, synthetic aperture radar, and

electro-optical sensors as well as the very dynamic topics of image processing, computer

vision and pattern recognition.

This book is composed of six parts:

* Advanced background modeling for surveillance

* Advances in Tracking in Infrared imagery

* Methods for Pose estimation in Ultrasound and LWIR imagery

* Recognition in multi-spectral and synthetic aperture radar

* Fusion of disparate sensors

* Smart Sensors

This textbook provides students with comprehensive insights on the classical and contemporary marketing theories and their practical implications. A fourth, revised edition of Marketing Management, the text features new classical and contemporary cases, new interdisciplinary and cross-functional implications of business management theories, contemporary marketing management principles and. futuristic application of marketing management theories and concepts. The core and complex issues are presented in a simplified manner providing students with a stimulating learning experience that enables critical thinking, understanding and future application. Each chapter features a chapter summary, key terms, review and discussion questions and a practice quiz. Throughout the text there are also specific teaching features to provide students and instructors with an enhanced pedagogical experience. These features include: The Manager's Corner: These sections provide real-world examples that instructors may highlight to exemplify theory or as mini-cases for discussion. Marketing in Action: These sections ask students to apply concepts and theories to actual business situations. Web Exercises: These mini sections provide students with real world issues and suggest websites for more information. In addition, the authors provide ancillary lecture notes and Solution/Instructors manual online to aid instructors in their teaching activities.

M. Riad El-Ghonemy argues that if current trends in government-led and market based land reforms persist the rural poor population in developing countries will continue to rise. Based on nearly half a century of academic and field research this valuable work presents compelling evidence on persistent rural poverty, hunger and increased inequality in developing countries over the last thirty years. The book furthers the debate with sixteen detailed case studies and looks beyond the typical views of the roles of the state and the market on land reform. The Crisis of Rural Poverty and Hunger contains comprehensive case studies including countries such as China, Korea and Honduras provides bases for discussions of government-mandated land reform, pro-active participation of NGOs and facilitated functions of the market mechanism. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in the fields of rural and agricultural development, development economics and geography.

Practical insights on the role of the entrepreneur in the global business context Entrepreneurial ideas that look great on the drawing board can turn out to be deal breakers when introduced in real markets, even when they've been put through the toughest business modeling tests. The Global Enterprise examines how a healthy relationship between entrepreneurship and globalization can combine with new methods of knowledge creation to enhance economic development and build firm sustainability. This unique book takes a fresh and innovative approach to the practical aspects of international business, including economic cluster formation, network formation, market entry, public policy controls and incentives, economic competitiveness, and the creation of value. The Global Enterprise offers perspectives from practitioners and academics working in a variety of disciplines in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. Their contributions address many of the vital issues of global business, including value-added chains, cross-border networks, knowledge management, technology transfer, transnational lines of production, distribution, marketing, and financial flows, and the strategic partnerships between government and corporations. The book is illustrated with more than 65 tables and figures, and articles are organized into three sectionsGlobalization: Building Firm Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Public Policy: Economic Competitiveness, and Knowledge Creation: Knowledge Management, Knowledge Transfer, and Cluster Formation. The Global Enterprise examines: the global transfer of capital strategic partnerships between governments and multinational firms the prospects for economic progress in developing countries the impact of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) the role of export regulations in national security and in safeguarding foreign policy the evolution of the Hard Rock Cafe cultural ontology global virtual teams (GVT) how to implement a knowledge management project a framework for discussing entrepreneurship from an environmental perspective and much more The Global Enterprise is an essential resource for academics, researchers, and professionals in the field of international business, and for economic development experts and government policymakers.

This two-volume edited collection explores the impact of technology on business advancement. Technology is a multifaceted and multidimensional phenomenon, carrying opportunities and risks. Business advancement therefore, can no longer be considered without technological mediation. Volume I offers insights into technological improvements in the field of global marketing. Covering topics such as mobile banking, social media and neuromarketing tools, the book examines how technology diffusion drives, negates and facilitates change in marketing processes. Volume II, on the other hand, focuses on the implications of changing technology on work and employment. Taken together, the books move forward the study of organizations and technology and are ideal resources for students and researchers.

This two-volume edited collection explores the impact of technology on business advancement. Technology is a multifaceted and multidimensional phenomenon, carrying opportunities and risks. Business advancement therefore, can no longer be considered without technological mediation. While Volume I offers insights into technological improvements in the field of global marketing, Volume II focuses on the implications of changing technology on work and employment. It covers topics such as the role of technology in change management, digital transformation, and the impact of AI on employment. Taken together, the books move forward the study of organizations and technology and are ideal resources for business students and researchers.

The Middle East is a region where affulence and poverty exist side by side and where the conspicuous display of wealth by governments and rich individuals contrasts with widespread deprivation.
Affluence and Poverty in the Middle East uses extensive emperical evidence to help us understand the causes and consequences of co-existing affluence and poverty. It address one major question: is affluence necessary and sufficient for human development? In the first part of the book , M. Riad El-Ghonemy investigates the common cultural and economic factors that have brought about such an extreme polarization of living standards. He focuses particularly on historical origins, military spending, economic foundations, educational policy and corruption, using a number of case studies to illustrate how each factor has affected the different countries in the region. The second part consists of country studies that examine how particular governments and NGOs have responded to vast inequalities in the distribution of wealth, income and opportunities, with emphasis on the social effects of economic reforms.
Dr El-Ghonemy brings his considerable knowledge and experience of the Middle East to this study. His exploration of the past, present and future of wealth distribution and poverty in the region highlights the prospects and challenges that the Middle East faces in the twenty-first century, including the use of peace divedends for alleviating poverty.

From recurring episodes of great depression, oil crises, political crises, wars, debt crises, to the ongoing climate change, there is a constant pressure on businesses to cope with critical events. However, throughout history, crises have been pivotal in advancing businesses and societies. This contributed volume approaches crisis not simply as a source of problems, but also as a set of choices. It seeks to explore critical events as possible opportunities for sustainability, through process improvement, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Chapters reveal that times of crisis provide opportunities for new start-ups, creativity, resilience, organisational change, and revitalisation. This book also emphasises the importance of sustainability, driven either by the market or as a response to critical events. Within the wider attempt to explore avenues for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability at times of crisis, the book is loosely organised in three thematic sections: organisational responses to crisis; digitisation, and how technology facilitates or hinders sustainability under conditions of crisis; and SMEs, Family Firms (FF), Entrepreneurship, which explores how critical events offer opportunities for innovation.

After reviewing the rise and decline of the UK system of industry wide collective bargaining, the authors use five detailed case studies to examine the process of decentralising bargaining from industry to single employer level. In each industry management's reasons for withdrawal, the union response, details of the new structures and the experience of operation of the new system are analysed. Finally, the five industries are compared and contrasted and lessons for employers and unions in other industries are drawn.

Crises present significant challenges for organizations. But, while critical events are inevitable, not every business is sufficiently equipped for when things don't go according to plan. This book focuses on business under crisis conditions, along with organizational responses and adaptation. Adaptation can be seen as a learning process. It encompasses meaningful ways that help companies sustain their viability over the long term. Companies that respond quickly, often achieve more than just surviving. Some organizations will learn from a crisis, develop reactive resilience, and emerge stronger from the period of turbulence. They will be able to explore possibilities and create new patterns of relationships. Bringing together descriptive and prescriptive research studies, chapters explore adaptation in different sectors, including public health, tourism, garment, Information Technology, high-tech companies, global trade networks, hospitality, security and the social sector. Ultimately, the book covers wide range of topics, linking strategy, entrepreneurship, and leadership to reciprocal organizational adaptations that help us delineate crisis, as well as its interconnections in differing settings.

This book examines businesses under crisis conditions through a composition of contextual accounts. The Editors argue that crises are transformative, evolutionary and even revolutionary in the development of organizations, industries and markets. Moreover, crises reform the context in which organizations operate, including customers and their behaviour. As such, they need to be viewed as conduits to change, accelerators of evolution and catalysts of innovation in organizations. Emphasising the importance of 'context' and its complexities, the book argues that for crisis, as a concept and notion, context is crucial to any understanding of the meaning that should or could be attached to it. Drawing on different types of changes and crises that substantially affect business, including economic, technological, political, and environmental, chapters Bringing together scientific research and case studies on contextual transformations, the book provides a balanced selection of works across business disciplines, including management, strategy, marketing and finance as well as geographic regions, market types and industries. The book examines the context of crises, its indicators and triggers, and encompasses topics such as Artificial Intelligence, e-mobility, changes in consumption patterns, militancy and the impact of pandemics.

This book is a groundbreaking resource that covers both algorithms and technologies of interactive videos. It presents recent research and application work for building and browsing interactive digital videos. The book deals mainly with low-level semi-automatic and full-automatic processing of the video content for intelligent human computer interaction. There is a special focus on eye tracking methods.

Triple Bottom Line (TBL or 3BL) was coined as a wide and inspiring approach for businesses aimed at understanding how to create, track and manage economic, social, and environmental value added. The sustainability sector is strongly increasing its relevance among academics and practitioners, and the market opportunities associated with the Sustainable Development Goals are estimated in over $ 12 trillion per year by 2030. Although this is a promising context, a recent article suggested a rethinking of the TBL, arguing that sustainability goals' value should not be assessed in terms of profit and loss, but of people wellbeing and planet health, looking for a societal profit. Technology plays a crucial role in our society. Respectively, the Agenda 21 and the Paris Agreement consider technology to be essential in the pursue of the sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs. Adding to this, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital solution in several field, from the way of working to the way of buying and consuming. Companies are becoming more aware of the responsibility they have with the environmental and human context, and people are looking for a work reflecting their values and purposes to motive them. This book aims to contribute to the understanding on the role of technology and its emerging and innovative solutions in the achievement of a sustainable development while making profit. It will be of value to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of strategic management, entrepreneurship, management of technology and innovation, and sustainable development.

This groundbreaking resource offers a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge video-based eye monitoring algorithms, as well as human factor algorithms and experiments. Helping to apply the skills in Intelligent Human Machine Interaction (IHMI), this practical reference shows how the core low-level building blocks are implemented and how they are linked with human factor algorithms and human-machine interfaces (HMI) in smart vehicles, sensitive environments and medical facilities.

There has been growing interest on business models among academics and practitioners in recent years, as business model describes how an organization creates, distributes and captures value and, therefore, can be considered the DNA of the organization. Recently, factors related to digital transformation, the vital role of sustainability and social aspects, along with an increasing globalization, have pushed towards radical transformations in business models. This book aims to further our knowledge on business model innovation in new contexts of analysis and with new perspectives of investigation. Insights from business model innovation are presented from studies focusing on start-ups, small businesses and large businesses to provide a bigger picture on new dynamics connected to digital transformation, sustainability, new global relationships. As such, the scope is on new ways to create value, new components and dynamics (such as digitalization and sustainability) concerning the key elements of the business model (value creation, value configuration and value capture), and new relationships between actors that may foster business model innovation. It represents a valuable resource for practitioners willing to innovate business models, academics aiming at finding new research lines, and students keen to learn more about business models.

Every week, the comic book artist Riad Sattouf has a chat with his friend's daughter, Esther. She tells him about her life, about school, her friends, her hopes, dreams and fears, and then he works it up into a comic strip. This book consists of 52 of those strips, telling between them the story of a year in the life of this sharp, spirited and hilarious child. The result is a moving, insightful and utterly addictive glimpse into the real lives of children growing up in today's world.

This volume presents 14 experimental studies of lexical tone and intonation in a wide variety of languages. Six papers deal with the discriminability or the function of intonation contours and lexical tones in specific languages, as established on the basis of listener responses, as well as with brain activation patterns resulting from the perception of tonal and intonational stimuli. The remaining eight papers report on detailed phonetic findings on a variety of tonal phenomena in a number of languages, including declination in tone languages, final lowering, consonant-tone interactions and pitch target alignment.

Every week, the comic book artist Riad Sattouf has a chat with his friend's daughter, Esther. She tells him about her life, about school, her friends, her hopes, dreams and fears, and then he works it up into a comic strip. This book consists of 52 of those strips, telling between them the story of a year in the life of this sharp, spirited and funny child. The result is a moving, insightful and utterly addictive glimpse into the real lives of children growing up in today's world.