Farmer adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is key to sustainable development, as changes at the farm level are essential to ensuring food security and environmental protection. Reasons for converting to sustainable farming have been studied in a number of instances. However, the underlying rationale that motivates this behaviour is not always made clear. The village of Bajwada in Madhya Pradesh is used as a case to investigate farmer perceptions and attitudes regarding sustainable farming. An innovator has been promoting what seems to be a highly productive and lauded method of sustainable farming called Natu-eco farming for the past five years. Strikingly, this technique has had practically zero adoption in the village. This study aims to examine this paradox by exploring fa...

This book describes a detailed process methodology for speeding innovation, and thereby leading to a firm's transformation. Anyone who is interested in managing under uncertainty and implementing fast and effective processes would be interested in reading this book. The results presented in this book are based on several years of research, examining 72 projects from 36 leading companies in United States, Asia, and Europe. The methods described are adopted by many firms in the industry. Paperback edition: US $25.95 Hardcover edition: US $35.95

Michigan State University in Dubai recognized the unprecedented challenges facing higher education in the 21st century. In a world where expectations of the learner are becoming ever more demanding, the universities are asked how they can sustain excellence through innovation.

Today, the most important question that a business must answer is the one that Gary Hamel posed five years ago in Competing for the Future--are you building a legacy or living off of one? In business today, the nature and pace of change is becoming so rapid and unpredictable, it can no longer be anticipated or managed. Priorities are suddenly shifting from beating the competition to benefiting the customer. Satisfying relationships have become more important than satisfactory returns on investment. Amidst the upheaval, the cry for innovation can be heard everywhere. Yet few have responded. The remainder risk becoming tomorrow's consummate underachievers, determined to get better and better at less and less. If you are an established enterprise, you are heading in an uncertain future ...

Innovation has a more and more important role in all industries, leading to a growing interest on the efficient management of the innovation process. For a better understanding of this process, it has been organised in 5 stages: idea generation, idea selection, idea development, idea implementation and revision. This work provides a short review for each one of these 5 stages of the innovation process, its tools, methodologies and processes.The AutoEuropa case study, described in this work, illustrates an innovation process in which a large number of tools and methodologies have been used with excellent results. In this case, a prototype idea management system has been used with a strong impact on the results, specially, at the organisation and productivity level of the idea management t...

As the sun set on the 20th century, a new age dawned in Japan. This new era, symbolized by the postmodern city of Tokyo, has ushered in not only technological innovation and economic prowess, but changing attitudes and values among Japanese young people. This transformation is not an uncommon or even new phenomenon, but simply the result of modern life. And one of the symptoms of modernity is the prevalence of an “ethics of materialism,” the ever-increasing concern for the acquisition of wealth and commodity goods, sometimes at the expense of the concern for human life itself. Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) was a German-Jewish philosopher whose writings examined topics including, but not limited to, art, history, and politics. His life’s work, published posthumously as The Arcad...

How can an economy based on something as volatile as knowledge be sustained? The urgency of improving our understanding of a knowledge-based economy provides the context and necessity of this study. In a previous study entitled A Sociological Theory of Communications: The Self-Organization of the Knowledge-based Society (2001) the author specified knowledge-based systems from a sociological perspective. In this book, he takes this theory one step further and demonstrates how the knowledge base of an economic system can be operationalized, both in terms of measurement and by providing simulation models. The measurement instruments are applied to the German and Dutch economies and elaborated in terms of regional and sectorial differences. The knowledge base is specified in th...

Two working physicians with a team of multigenerational, multidisciplinary and rising thought leaders created a system, Wealth from Health, to take an honest, unfiltered look at American healthcare. Rather than beginning from an institutional perspective, the team started from the premise of patients and families best understanding their needs and wants and then designing systems that champion access and health. Step by step instructions allow anyone with a vision to create true value: cost effectiveness merged with high quality of care. Far from theoretical about what might work, or capturing the low hanging fruit of better workflows, this book is an eminently practical guide with reproducible examples and stories from the authors’ decades on the frontline of American medicine. When Co...

IN THIS ISSUE: Foreword EMMANUEL ALVARADO Artist’s Commentary CYNTHIA ZAITZ Indelible Ink of the Palimpsest: Language, Myth and Narrative in H.D.’s Trilogy MICHELE BRAUN Mary-ing Isis and Mary Magdalene in “The Flowering of the Rod”: Revisioning and Healing Through Female-Centered Spirituality in H.D.’s Trilogy JULIE GOODSPEED-CHADWICK Rethinking the Maya: Understanding an Ancient Language in Modern Linguistic Terms RHIANNA C. ROGERS Monarch of All I Can Sway: “Crusoeing” Alongside Oscar Wilde’s “The Decay of Lying” VAL CZERNY Mina Loy’s Design Flaws COLBEY EMMERSON REID Form and Function in the Social Perception and Appreciation of Web Sites EMMANUEL ALVARADO In Of Cigarettes, High Heels, and Other Interesting Things: An Introduc...

Last year, the Dubai International Conference in Higher Education considered the global challenge of sustaining success in higher education. This year, we posed the question: ‘How do universities combine rigour with relevance?’ Once again we have invited all those involved in the higher education community to come together to share insights related to the provision of education that is rigorous and at the same time relevant. The three key premises of the conference are these: 1. Higher education institutions must demonstrate their relevance to the needs of the workforce in a landscape of constant and rapid economic and social change. 2. They must maintain the rigorous academic standards that are the hallmark of a quality institution. 3. With the accelerating...

Given the diversification of global migration patterns, the increased importance attributed to knowledge and innovation for economic development, and the rise of social policy regimes that emphasise self-responsibility, migrant entrepreneurship has become a widely discussed form of migrant incorporation in both policy and social sciences. Particularly in North America and Europe, policy advisors have drafted special programmes and regulations aimed at self-employed migrants, while social scientists have also come up with a vast body of research, although it has not been exempt from certain controversies and biases. Migrant entrepreneurship has frequently been associated either with rags-to-riches success stories or with unremunerative hard work and marginalised social positions. Also, a gr...

The theory of the commodity is used by critical theorists to explain the general organization and development of capitalist society. It was originally proposed by Marx, and subsequently developed by Lukacs and later Adorno and the Frankfurt School. Media scholars such as Dallas Smythe, Judith Williamson, Robert Goldman and Eileen Meehan have identified the commodity structure in several forms throughout the process of mass communication. Although commodity theory is not always articulated as a part of critical studies, it is useful for understanding the process of mass communication under capitalism. By investigating the dynamics of market processes and cultural innovation, this paper shows where the theory of the commodity fits into Critical Media Studies and suggests where some productiv...

Organizations are often rewarded for doing the trendy and flashy, as the recent fashionable university efforts related to Massively Open Online Course's demonstrate all too clearly. Innovations demonstrate many things symbolically to external stakeholders: you are on the cutting edge, you are the future, you are worthy of investment, you can respond to competitive pressures, you are attuned to a larger world, and so on. Ultimately, unfortunately, it is often not the work you do, but what your efforts stand for symbolically that is critical to evaluations of work performance. Here we will explore symbolic innovations comprehensively. Studying them provides a more thorough view of innovation processes and the underlying factors that motivate, generate them. Looking at innovations as sym...

The management of hazardous and toxic waste projects in Asia (especially that related to intractable chemicals) has had a less than acceptable performance profile during the last 20 years. There have been numerous documented cases of management and systems failures in intractable chemical recovery projects, despite the establishment of global conventions designed to avoid such problems. A research programme was undertaken with the aim of producing a management model for companies to help prevent such failures in the future. The research began in the field with an exploration of management culture and its impact on project management. This involved multiple visits to five Asian countries and interviewing people involved in intractable waste management at both strategic and operational ...

Due to recent climate change, the character of environmental regional planning has shifted to address the anticipated extreme increases in sea level rise. As such, this project, based on existing scientific research/data, proposes a spatial, habitable landscape architectural solution as a model for flood mitigation for the East coastal edge. This proposal tests the potential for resilient coastal landscapes through a particular site located on Revere Beach, along with the New England coast in Massachusetts. The study demonstrates how through new public spaces designed to renew and protect the beach and the broader offshores, residents and visitors will be able to engage with this 21st Century, resilient beachfront. Also, residents and visitors will experience sophisticated efficient flood ...

Generally, construction of dams is regarded as means of economic progress in many countries. However, major consequences of such projects are the inundation of upstream areas and the resettlement of entire communities in newly built environments where they experience dramatic transformation in their lifestyles. The present study takes the Nubian resettlement experience after the creation of Lake Nasser that submerged their old settlements, along the river Nile. Following their resettlement, the design of the newly-built environment disrupted the Nubian traditional lifestyles and patterns of privacy mechanisms, territoriality and social interaction. However, the inadequacy of the newly-built environment was mainly attributed to the Nubians' transfer from spacious homes in the old village...

Designing effective organizations is a key challenge for companies in particular in the fast-moving business world of today. The late 1990s and early 2000s have seen multiple Organization Management innovations applied successfully such as Business Process Outsourcing, Shared Services and Offshoring. Advanced techniques such as Balanced Scorecards and integrated Planning Systems have become effective enablers for strategy execution. This book spans a framework from strategy definition and designing strategy-compliant organizations to monitoring effective implementation and Performance Management. On this journey basic principles of Organization Management are discussed in detail and at the same time state-of-the-art Best Practices are highlighted. A set of to-the-point case studies demonst...

The goal of a high quality, cost-effective and accessible health care for patients is achieved through constructing a team-based and patient-centered health care delivery system. The expanded role of pharmacists uplifts them to patient care from dispensing and manufacturing or marketing of drugs. Along with doctors and allied health professionals, pharmacists are increasingly recognized as an integral part of the patient care team. Furthermore, colleges of pharmacy need to revise and up-date their curricula to accommodate the progressively increasing development in the pharmaceutical education and the evolving new roles of practicing pharmacists in patient care settings. This book focuses on the expanded role of the pharmacists in total patient care including prescribing, dispensing, compo...

This thesis analyses how and why culture and geography influence the allocation and licensing of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum in different nations. Based on a broad comparative study of 235 countries, an inter-disciplinary approach is used to explore regulatory frameworks and attitudes toward risk. In addition, detailed case studies of the UK, France, the US and Ecuador provide deeper insights into the main contrasting regulatory styles. Three alternative sociological theories are used to analyse and explain the results for both the in-depth and broad brush studies. The Cultural Theory of Mary Douglas and co-workers is first used to categorise countries in terms of perceptual filters. The empirical findings indicate some countries to be apparently exceptional in their behaviour. Th...

This study examines the socioeconomic and environmental implications of the new camu camu industry in Peru. Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) is a small tree native to wetlands of the Amazon basin. It is especially abundant in Peruvian Amazonia. The high vitamin-C content of the fruit has generated interest in exporting camu camu products from Amazonia to more-developed countries. The government of Peru has been actively promoting this new extractive industry, as well as the planting of camu camu in rural areas. Non-governmental development organizations and private industry are now actively involved with camu camu projects and enterprises. In Peru, enthusiasm for this native species is high, because camu camu is expected to provide a much-needed and sustainable economic boost for the region. Ho...

Laser isotope separation (LIS) is an emerging technology that uses relatively small, widely-available lasers to achieve civilian or weapons grade concentration of fissile material to fuel nuclear reactions. To date only a few, limited proliferation risk analyses of LIS technology have been conducted. This paper provides a historically and technically informed update on the current state of LIS technology and it explains the high likelihood of increased global LIS adoption. The paper also explains how international rules governing nuclear energy are ill-equipped to handle such new technology. It traces the current limitations to broader issues in international relations theory, especially the incomplete accounts of the role of technology in the proliferation dynamic in the dominant neoreali...

This text provides a comprehensive overview on how modern cruise ships are run, covering the most important topics of today’s shipboard operation involving Deck, Engine and Hotel divisions, with a focus on the recent innovations in the Culinary Arts, Entertainment productions, Spa and Beauty facilities and a specific reference on how to maximize "onboard revenues" such as Casino, Bar, Duty-Free Shops, Shore Tours, Photo Gallery, and onboard Art Auctions. A special chapter is dedicated to the procedures to prevent virus outbreaks including Norovirus and Coronavirus. World Class Shipboard Hospitality is addressed to all those who want to get an unbiased understanding of today’s cruise industry such as worldwide media professionals, tourism and hospitality college teachers, cruise indu...

This book is one of the most comprehensive guides to international maritime law from the Russian perspective. It consists of three relatively independent sections: Russian Maritime Law, International Public Maritime Law, and International Private Maritime Law. First section discusses the development of the maritime law as a branch of the Russian law. It examines concepts and sources of the Russian federal laws, secondary legislation and customs, including the influences guiding the future of Russian law of the sea. . The second section examines International Public Maritime Law including the principles, sources, subjects, as well legal status of the vessel, including the vessel's state flag, her name, state registration, the problem of "flags of convenience", vessel's documents, the c...

This book is one of the most comprehensive guides to international maritime law from the Russian perspective. It consists of three relatively independent sections: Russian Maritime Law, International Public Maritime Law, and International Private Maritime Law. First section discusses the development of the maritime law as a branch of the Russian law. It examines concepts and sources of the Russian federal laws, secondary legislation and customs, including the influences guiding the future of Russian law of the sea. . The second section examines International Public Maritime Law including the principles, sources, subjects, as well legal status of the vessel, including the vessel's state flag, her name, state registration, the problem of "flags of convenience", vessel's documents, the c...

Scientists, Inventors, and Tinkerers is a monograph relating in linear fashion the discoveries and inventions in electricity, electronics, wireless, and mass communications that led to the inventor Philo Farnsworth having all necessary to realize his own moment of discovery-- by inventing one of the most influential of inventions, the television. The work includes a parallel discussion of the invention of lip-synchronization talking motion pictures, as both innovations, TV and Talkies, occurred in the same year.