Gary Herrigel
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557738
- eISBN:
- 9780191720871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557738.003.0099
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
Chapter introduces the main themes of the second part of the book. Above all, the global trend toward vertical disintegration in complex manufacturing in advanced countries is the focus of analysis. ...
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Chapter introduces the main themes of the second part of the book. Above all, the global trend toward vertical disintegration in complex manufacturing in advanced countries is the focus of analysis. The book shifts its attention from long historical evolution in one industry in three countries to an analysis of supply chains in two very broad complex manufacturing sectors: Automobiles and Machinery. The country focus shifts as well, with broadly comparative initial chapters giving way to a focus on processes of recomposition in Germany and the United States The theoretical focus remains constant however: recomposition of the arrangements governing these industrial sectors are driven by creative action. The introduction also outlines the sources of data used in the analysis, above all interview based data collected by two research consortia: The Advanced Manufacturing Project and the Global Components ProjectLess
Chapter introduces the main themes of the second part of the book. Above all, the global trend toward vertical disintegration in complex manufacturing in advanced countries is the focus of analysis. The book shifts its attention from long historical evolution in one industry in three countries to an analysis of supply chains in two very broad complex manufacturing sectors: Automobiles and Machinery. The country focus shifts as well, with broadly comparative initial chapters giving way to a focus on processes of recomposition in Germany and the United States The theoretical focus remains constant however: recomposition of the arrangements governing these industrial sectors are driven by creative action. The introduction also outlines the sources of data used in the analysis, above all interview based data collected by two research consortia: The Advanced Manufacturing Project and the Global Components Project
Andrew Sturdy, Karen Handley, Timothy Clark, and Robin Fincham
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199212644
- eISBN:
- 9780191707339
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199212644.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Knowledge Management
Drawing on a three‐year, in‐depth, ‘fly‐on‐the‐wall’ study of client‐management consultant interactions, knowledge flow in management consultancy projects is shown to be mediated by multiple and ...
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Drawing on a three‐year, in‐depth, ‘fly‐on‐the‐wall’ study of client‐management consultant interactions, knowledge flow in management consultancy projects is shown to be mediated by multiple and shifting boundaries or ‘insider‐outsider’ relationships. This challenges dominant assumptions about management consultancy as being either a source of new ideas and processes or simply the legitimation of client knowledge. Rather, different actors, roles, and types of knowledge are involved in an interactive and dynamic process where various boundaries are constructed, reinforced, negotiated, and transformed. The chapters selectively explore these dynamics, revealing the importance of boundary complexity; the role of humour and challenge in often tense relationships; and the importance of shared knowledge domains such as sector knowledge. They are based upon a model of client–consultant relationships developed from theories of knowledge and social boundaries. A wide range of consultancy contexts are covered, including: a US‐based strategy firm and a multinational client; the public and private sectors; a sole practitioner consultant; and IT implementation in financial services. These have a wider significance in terms of our understanding of project working, innovation/change, inter-organizational relations and professional and business services.Less
Drawing on a three‐year, in‐depth, ‘fly‐on‐the‐wall’ study of client‐management consultant interactions, knowledge flow in management consultancy projects is shown to be mediated by multiple and shifting boundaries or ‘insider‐outsider’ relationships. This challenges dominant assumptions about management consultancy as being either a source of new ideas and processes or simply the legitimation of client knowledge. Rather, different actors, roles, and types of knowledge are involved in an interactive and dynamic process where various boundaries are constructed, reinforced, negotiated, and transformed. The chapters selectively explore these dynamics, revealing the importance of boundary complexity; the role of humour and challenge in often tense relationships; and the importance of shared knowledge domains such as sector knowledge. They are based upon a model of client–consultant relationships developed from theories of knowledge and social boundaries. A wide range of consultancy contexts are covered, including: a US‐based strategy firm and a multinational client; the public and private sectors; a sole practitioner consultant; and IT implementation in financial services. These have a wider significance in terms of our understanding of project working, innovation/change, inter-organizational relations and professional and business services.
John Kekes
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199546923
- eISBN:
- 9780191720109
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546923.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
The book examines the indispensable role enjoyment plays in a good life. The key to it is the development of a style of life that combines an attitude and a manner of living and acting that jointly ...
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The book examines the indispensable role enjoyment plays in a good life. The key to it is the development of a style of life that combines an attitude and a manner of living and acting that jointly express one's deepest concerns. Since such styles vary with characters and circumstances, understanding them requires attending to the particular and concrete details of individual lives. The first half of the book explains and illustrates these components of enjoyable lives. The second half is a detailed examination of enjoyable lives of integrity, reflectiveness, and self-direction, and miserable lives of morbid romanticism, moralism, and exuberance, and explains why these styles of life are admirable or deplorable. Reflection on works of literature is a better guide to this kind of explanation than the search for general theories and principles that preoccupies much of contemporary deontological, consequentialist, and contractarian moral thought. The argument proceeds by detailed reflection on particular cases, and shows how this kind of reflection can be reasonably conducted and how the quest for universality and impartiality is misguided in this context. Central to the argument is a practical, particular, pluralistic, and yet objective conception of reason that rejects the pervasive contemporary tendency to regard reasons as good only if they are binding on all who aspire to live reasonably and morally. Reasons for living and acting in particular ways are often individually variable and none the worse for that.Less
The book examines the indispensable role enjoyment plays in a good life. The key to it is the development of a style of life that combines an attitude and a manner of living and acting that jointly express one's deepest concerns. Since such styles vary with characters and circumstances, understanding them requires attending to the particular and concrete details of individual lives. The first half of the book explains and illustrates these components of enjoyable lives. The second half is a detailed examination of enjoyable lives of integrity, reflectiveness, and self-direction, and miserable lives of morbid romanticism, moralism, and exuberance, and explains why these styles of life are admirable or deplorable. Reflection on works of literature is a better guide to this kind of explanation than the search for general theories and principles that preoccupies much of contemporary deontological, consequentialist, and contractarian moral thought. The argument proceeds by detailed reflection on particular cases, and shows how this kind of reflection can be reasonably conducted and how the quest for universality and impartiality is misguided in this context. Central to the argument is a practical, particular, pluralistic, and yet objective conception of reason that rejects the pervasive contemporary tendency to regard reasons as good only if they are binding on all who aspire to live reasonably and morally. Reasons for living and acting in particular ways are often individually variable and none the worse for that.
Paul Corner
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198730699
- eISBN:
- 9780191741753
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198730699.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends ...
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The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a ‘political religion’ which bound the population to the fascist leader. This book presents a different picture. While in no way underestimating the force of ideological factors, the book argues that ‘real existing Fascism’, as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, the study examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The study, based largely on archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists at the local level mirrors a wider problem related to the utilisation of power within Italy, both past and present.Less
The enigma of how ordinary people related to would-be totalitarian regimes is still far from being resolved. The tension between repression and consensus renders analysis difficult; where one ends and the other begins is never easy to determine. In the case of fascist Italy, recent scholarship has tended to tilt the balance in favour of popular consensus for the regime, identifying in the ideological and cultural aspects of Mussolini's rule a ‘political religion’ which bound the population to the fascist leader. This book presents a different picture. While in no way underestimating the force of ideological factors, the book argues that ‘real existing Fascism’, as lived by a large part of the population, was in fact an increasingly negative experience and reflected few of those colourful and attractive features of fascist propaganda which have induced more favourable interpretations of the regime. Distinguishing clearly between the fascist project and its realisation, the study examines the ways in which the fascist party asserted itself at the local level in the widely-differing areas of Italy, at its corruption and malfunctioning, and at the mounting wave of popular resentment against it during the course of the 1930s which, in effect, signalled the failure of the project. The study, based largely on archival material, concludes by suggesting that the abuse of power by fascists at the local level mirrors a wider problem related to the utilisation of power within Italy, both past and present.
Bruce A. Thyer
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195323375
- eISBN:
- 9780199864430
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323375.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
The art of writing up a completed research project in a form suitable for submission to a professional journal is an ability separate from one's skills as a research methodologist, clinician, or ...
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The art of writing up a completed research project in a form suitable for submission to a professional journal is an ability separate from one's skills as a research methodologist, clinician, or administrator. It is also an ability that, despite its importance, is often overlooked by graduate research courses and senior-level mentors. This book is a guide to preparing research articles and it presents an insider's look to writing up studies and getting them published. It aims to unravel the mysteries and illuminate the pitfalls that students, as well as many established researchers, might otherwise stumble over. The book's advice on selecting an appropriate journal, handling rejections and revisions, understanding confusing concepts like impact factors and electronic publishing, and avoiding common methodological and formatting pitfalls constitute a gold mine of information for the fledgling research writer.Less
The art of writing up a completed research project in a form suitable for submission to a professional journal is an ability separate from one's skills as a research methodologist, clinician, or administrator. It is also an ability that, despite its importance, is often overlooked by graduate research courses and senior-level mentors. This book is a guide to preparing research articles and it presents an insider's look to writing up studies and getting them published. It aims to unravel the mysteries and illuminate the pitfalls that students, as well as many established researchers, might otherwise stumble over. The book's advice on selecting an appropriate journal, handling rejections and revisions, understanding confusing concepts like impact factors and electronic publishing, and avoiding common methodological and formatting pitfalls constitute a gold mine of information for the fledgling research writer.
Helga Drummond
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198289531
- eISBN:
- 9780191684722
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198289531.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, HRM / IR
Getting organizations going is one thing, stopping them is another. This book examines how and why organizations become trapped in disastrous decisions. The focal point is Project Taurus, an IT ...
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Getting organizations going is one thing, stopping them is another. This book examines how and why organizations become trapped in disastrous decisions. The focal point is Project Taurus, an IT venture commissioned by the London Stock Exchange and supported by numerous City Institutions. Taurus was intended to transform London's antiquated manual share settlement procedures into a state of the art electronic system that would be the envy of the world. The project collapsed after three years of intensive work and investments totalling almost 500 million pounds. This book is an in-depth study of escalation in decision making. It is based on interviews with a number of people who played a key role and presents a readable account of what actually happened. At the same time, it sets the case in the broader literature of decision making.Less
Getting organizations going is one thing, stopping them is another. This book examines how and why organizations become trapped in disastrous decisions. The focal point is Project Taurus, an IT venture commissioned by the London Stock Exchange and supported by numerous City Institutions. Taurus was intended to transform London's antiquated manual share settlement procedures into a state of the art electronic system that would be the envy of the world. The project collapsed after three years of intensive work and investments totalling almost 500 million pounds. This book is an in-depth study of escalation in decision making. It is based on interviews with a number of people who played a key role and presents a readable account of what actually happened. At the same time, it sets the case in the broader literature of decision making.
James A. Mirrlees and I. M. D. Little
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198295211
- eISBN:
- 9780191685095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198295211.003.0027
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter discusses the application of appraisal in decision making. Project appraisal is usually used as a reduction in uncertainty or as an acquisition of information. The process of appraisal ...
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This chapter discusses the application of appraisal in decision making. Project appraisal is usually used as a reduction in uncertainty or as an acquisition of information. The process of appraisal is considered as a selection among several possibilities, each of which has an uncertain value.Less
This chapter discusses the application of appraisal in decision making. Project appraisal is usually used as a reduction in uncertainty or as an acquisition of information. The process of appraisal is considered as a selection among several possibilities, each of which has an uncertain value.
Michael Hanchard
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195176247
- eISBN:
- 9780199851003
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176247.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This treatment of “party” life traces the many different forms of communal expression that underlie black parties. It reveals new dimensions to the way we think about the cultural and political ...
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This treatment of “party” life traces the many different forms of communal expression that underlie black parties. It reveals new dimensions to the way we think about the cultural and political sphere, both nationally and transnationally. This book draws broadly on examples from popular culture, literature, social movements, and daily life to explore an array of themes ranging from black ideologies, the demise of Black power and Third Worldism as emancipatory projects for liberation, to more contemporary issues and debates on multiculturalism and transnational forms of identity. Capturing what is often overlooked due to an emphasis on nations, on surveys, and on formal institutions, it offers an expansive, integrated framework for the study of not only black politics but of political and social theory the world over.Less
This treatment of “party” life traces the many different forms of communal expression that underlie black parties. It reveals new dimensions to the way we think about the cultural and political sphere, both nationally and transnationally. This book draws broadly on examples from popular culture, literature, social movements, and daily life to explore an array of themes ranging from black ideologies, the demise of Black power and Third Worldism as emancipatory projects for liberation, to more contemporary issues and debates on multiculturalism and transnational forms of identity. Capturing what is often overlooked due to an emphasis on nations, on surveys, and on formal institutions, it offers an expansive, integrated framework for the study of not only black politics but of political and social theory the world over.
Devi Sridhar
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199573547
- eISBN:
- 9780191722677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199573547.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management, Organization Studies
The estimated number of undernourished people around the world has increased to nearly 923 million and is projected to rise with increasing food prices. A large majority of those affected live in ...
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The estimated number of undernourished people around the world has increased to nearly 923 million and is projected to rise with increasing food prices. A large majority of those affected live in India. This chapter examines one of the key efforts to address undernutrition in a targeted and rational manner in India. The resulting project, the Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project (TINP) was rational in that it was based on a combination of two Western-based scientific and modern disciplines, namely biomedical and health economic models. TINP was funded by the World Bank and has often been referred to as one of the most ‘successful’ nutrition projects in the general nutrition literature, so the way it was designed and implemented is of particular interest. It is argued that there is a mismatch between how malnutrition is defined, measured, and evaluated by the World Bank, and how it is lived and experienced in affected communities. While the biomedical approach to undernutrition might be suitable in the setting of a clinic, it is problematic when exported to stand-alone community nutrition projects such as TINP.Less
The estimated number of undernourished people around the world has increased to nearly 923 million and is projected to rise with increasing food prices. A large majority of those affected live in India. This chapter examines one of the key efforts to address undernutrition in a targeted and rational manner in India. The resulting project, the Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project (TINP) was rational in that it was based on a combination of two Western-based scientific and modern disciplines, namely biomedical and health economic models. TINP was funded by the World Bank and has often been referred to as one of the most ‘successful’ nutrition projects in the general nutrition literature, so the way it was designed and implemented is of particular interest. It is argued that there is a mismatch between how malnutrition is defined, measured, and evaluated by the World Bank, and how it is lived and experienced in affected communities. While the biomedical approach to undernutrition might be suitable in the setting of a clinic, it is problematic when exported to stand-alone community nutrition projects such as TINP.
T. W. Moody, F. X. Martin, and F. J. Byrne
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199562527
- eISBN:
- 9780191701849
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562527.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
The book is part of a collection, A New History of Ireland, which is the definitive history of Ireland in the early modern period and is a large scholarly project in modern Irish history. In nine ...
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The book is part of a collection, A New History of Ireland, which is the definitive history of Ireland in the early modern period and is a large scholarly project in modern Irish history. In nine volumes, it provides a comprehensive new synthesis of modern scholarship on every aspect of Irish history and prehistory, from the earliest geological and archaeological evidence, through the Middle Ages, down to the present day. This third volume elucidates an important phase of Irish development, opening with a character-study of early modern Ireland and a panoramic survey of Ireland in 1534. Twelve chapters of narrative history are included, with further chapters exploring a wide range of subjects, such as the economy, the coinage, languages and literature, and the Irish abroad.Less
The book is part of a collection, A New History of Ireland, which is the definitive history of Ireland in the early modern period and is a large scholarly project in modern Irish history. In nine volumes, it provides a comprehensive new synthesis of modern scholarship on every aspect of Irish history and prehistory, from the earliest geological and archaeological evidence, through the Middle Ages, down to the present day. This third volume elucidates an important phase of Irish development, opening with a character-study of early modern Ireland and a panoramic survey of Ireland in 1534. Twelve chapters of narrative history are included, with further chapters exploring a wide range of subjects, such as the economy, the coinage, languages and literature, and the Irish abroad.
You‐tien Hsing
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199568048
- eISBN:
- 9780191721632
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199568048.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
Chapter 4 shifts the geographical focus to the urban edge of metropolitan centers, and from urban to rural land. It outlines the land battles between expansionist urban ...
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Chapter 4 shifts the geographical focus to the urban edge of metropolitan centers, and from urban to rural land. It outlines the land battles between expansionist urban governments at the municipal and district levels and rural governments at the county and township levels. The struggle between urban and rural governments is set in the historical shift in which industrialism has largely given way to urbanism since the late 1990s. Drawing on the changing political discourse, urban governments have moved to incorporate scattered industrial estates formerly controlled by rural governments. As a result, the urban fringe becomes a primary site of capital accumulation, territorial expansion, and consolidation vital to urban governments' local state‐building projects. The urban government's logic of property‐based accumulation and territorial expansion builds on itself and finds expression in massive‐scale mega projects like “new cities” and “university cities” built on former village land in the outskirts of the city.Less
Chapter 4 shifts the geographical focus to the urban edge of metropolitan centers, and from urban to rural land. It outlines the land battles between expansionist urban governments at the municipal and district levels and rural governments at the county and township levels. The struggle between urban and rural governments is set in the historical shift in which industrialism has largely given way to urbanism since the late 1990s. Drawing on the changing political discourse, urban governments have moved to incorporate scattered industrial estates formerly controlled by rural governments. As a result, the urban fringe becomes a primary site of capital accumulation, territorial expansion, and consolidation vital to urban governments' local state‐building projects. The urban government's logic of property‐based accumulation and territorial expansion builds on itself and finds expression in massive‐scale mega projects like “new cities” and “university cities” built on former village land in the outskirts of the city.
Albert Casullo
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195115055
- eISBN:
- 9780199786190
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195115058.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter contends that proponents of the a priori face two major challenges: articulating the experiential/nonexperiential distinction, and providing supporting evidence for the claim that there ...
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This chapter contends that proponents of the a priori face two major challenges: articulating the experiential/nonexperiential distinction, and providing supporting evidence for the claim that there are nonexperiential sources of justification. It is argued that the most promising approaches to addressing both challenges involve empirical investigation. With respect to the first, “experience” should be viewed as a natural kind term whose extension is fixed by certain paradigms. The underlying nature of the paradigms must be uncovered by empirical investigation. With respect to the second, it is argued that providing compelling support for the a priori involves two related projects: the Articulation Project, whose goal is to more fully articulate the claim that there are nonexperiential sources of justification; and the Empirical Project, whose goal is to provide empirical supporting evidence for the articulated claim.Less
This chapter contends that proponents of the a priori face two major challenges: articulating the experiential/nonexperiential distinction, and providing supporting evidence for the claim that there are nonexperiential sources of justification. It is argued that the most promising approaches to addressing both challenges involve empirical investigation. With respect to the first, “experience” should be viewed as a natural kind term whose extension is fixed by certain paradigms. The underlying nature of the paradigms must be uncovered by empirical investigation. With respect to the second, it is argued that providing compelling support for the a priori involves two related projects: the Articulation Project, whose goal is to more fully articulate the claim that there are nonexperiential sources of justification; and the Empirical Project, whose goal is to provide empirical supporting evidence for the articulated claim.
Michael J. North and Charles M. Macal
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195172119
- eISBN:
- 9780199789894
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172119.003.0014
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
This chapter discusses how to manage agent-based modeling and simulation projects. It considers factors such as goal setting, project structures, staffing, the stages of model development, and the ...
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This chapter discusses how to manage agent-based modeling and simulation projects. It considers factors such as goal setting, project structures, staffing, the stages of model development, and the stages of model use.Less
This chapter discusses how to manage agent-based modeling and simulation projects. It considers factors such as goal setting, project structures, staffing, the stages of model development, and the stages of model use.
Linda L. Barnes
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195167979
- eISBN:
- 9780199784981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019516797X.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter proposes two ways to study religion and healing. The first outlines a program that involves an urban ethnographic study of culturally/religiously based approaches to healing in the ...
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This chapter proposes two ways to study religion and healing. The first outlines a program that involves an urban ethnographic study of culturally/religiously based approaches to healing in the African Diaspora communities of Boston, Massachusetts. The second relates to ways in which findings from the first kind of course can be incorporated into different levels of medical education, thereby introducing a highly-focused aspect of religious studies into the training of biomedical clinicians.Less
This chapter proposes two ways to study religion and healing. The first outlines a program that involves an urban ethnographic study of culturally/religiously based approaches to healing in the African Diaspora communities of Boston, Massachusetts. The second relates to ways in which findings from the first kind of course can be incorporated into different levels of medical education, thereby introducing a highly-focused aspect of religious studies into the training of biomedical clinicians.
Richard Whitley
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199205172
- eISBN:
- 9780191709555
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199205172.003.0009
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
This chapter analyses the growing significance of inter-firm networks and project-based firms in many industries, which some claim heralds major changes in dominant economic forms. Rather than ...
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This chapter analyses the growing significance of inter-firm networks and project-based firms in many industries, which some claim heralds major changes in dominant economic forms. Rather than assuming that all such enterprises are basically the same, the chapter distinguishes between four ideal types of project-based firms in terms of the singularity of their goals, on the one hand, and the separation and stability of the division of labour, on the other hand. These ideal types vary in their importance across subsectors with different output characteristics, such as appropriability, modularity, and technological cumulativeness, and processes, such as client involvement. They also are more or less likely to become prevalent in contrasting institutional environments, which means that the establishment of the Silicon Valley type of economic organization as the dominant form is improbable in many societies.Less
This chapter analyses the growing significance of inter-firm networks and project-based firms in many industries, which some claim heralds major changes in dominant economic forms. Rather than assuming that all such enterprises are basically the same, the chapter distinguishes between four ideal types of project-based firms in terms of the singularity of their goals, on the one hand, and the separation and stability of the division of labour, on the other hand. These ideal types vary in their importance across subsectors with different output characteristics, such as appropriability, modularity, and technological cumulativeness, and processes, such as client involvement. They also are more or less likely to become prevalent in contrasting institutional environments, which means that the establishment of the Silicon Valley type of economic organization as the dominant form is improbable in many societies.
Edmund Cannon and Ian Tonks
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199216994
- eISBN:
- 9780191711978
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216994.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Pensions and Pension Management
The actuarial profession has developed to enable insurance companies to value life insurance products on a scientific basis. This chapter considers the methods used by actuaries to price annuities ...
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The actuarial profession has developed to enable insurance companies to value life insurance products on a scientific basis. This chapter considers the methods used by actuaries to price annuities and describes the measurement of life expectancy. It reports on the life data collected by the Continuous Mortality Investigation Bureau and the recent trends in life expectancy.Less
The actuarial profession has developed to enable insurance companies to value life insurance products on a scientific basis. This chapter considers the methods used by actuaries to price annuities and describes the measurement of life expectancy. It reports on the life data collected by the Continuous Mortality Investigation Bureau and the recent trends in life expectancy.
David G Myers
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189636
- eISBN:
- 9780199868605
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189636.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter distinguishes several dimensions of the problem of free will. The descriptive project aims to characterize our everyday notions of choice and responsibility, and to discern the origins ...
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This chapter distinguishes several dimensions of the problem of free will. The descriptive project aims to characterize our everyday notions of choice and responsibility, and to discern the origins of these notions. Psychology is obviously critical to this descriptive endeavor, and there is some evidence that everyday notions of choice are indeterministic. On the substantive project, the goal is to assess whether our everyday notions of choice correspond to the way the world really is. It is argued that psychology is not currently in a position to show directly that determinism is true, however psychology might show that the belief in indeterminist choice is poorly founded. The goal of the prescriptive project is to decide how we should respond if we find that our everyday beliefs in free will are unjustified. Psychology has an important role to play here too, in exploring the potential consequences of revising our everyday practices.Less
This chapter distinguishes several dimensions of the problem of free will. The descriptive project aims to characterize our everyday notions of choice and responsibility, and to discern the origins of these notions. Psychology is obviously critical to this descriptive endeavor, and there is some evidence that everyday notions of choice are indeterministic. On the substantive project, the goal is to assess whether our everyday notions of choice correspond to the way the world really is. It is argued that psychology is not currently in a position to show directly that determinism is true, however psychology might show that the belief in indeterminist choice is poorly founded. The goal of the prescriptive project is to decide how we should respond if we find that our everyday beliefs in free will are unjustified. Psychology has an important role to play here too, in exploring the potential consequences of revising our everyday practices.
Patrick Cohendet and Laurent Simon
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199545490
- eISBN:
- 9780191720093
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545490.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Knowledge Management
This contribution focuses on the relationship between the urban milieu and high creativity firms, focusing on the videogames sector in Montreal. It reveals an organizational frame of a lack of large ...
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This contribution focuses on the relationship between the urban milieu and high creativity firms, focusing on the videogames sector in Montreal. It reveals an organizational frame of a lack of large R&D departments and a lack of global networks of subsidiaries or partners through which firms access creative knowledge. None of these classical ways to enhance creativity is present. Instead, creativity relies on distributed and independent communities of knowing which generate, exploit, and develop a ‘creative slack’ as a source of growth for the firm. These communities find their source of inspiration and innovation in the fertile soil of a creative city.Less
This contribution focuses on the relationship between the urban milieu and high creativity firms, focusing on the videogames sector in Montreal. It reveals an organizational frame of a lack of large R&D departments and a lack of global networks of subsidiaries or partners through which firms access creative knowledge. None of these classical ways to enhance creativity is present. Instead, creativity relies on distributed and independent communities of knowing which generate, exploit, and develop a ‘creative slack’ as a source of growth for the firm. These communities find their source of inspiration and innovation in the fertile soil of a creative city.
Helen Margetts, Perri 6, and Christopher Hood (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199573547
- eISBN:
- 9780191722677
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199573547.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management, Organization Studies
This book explores the unintended and unanticipated effects associated with ‘modernization’ projects and tackles the key question that they provoke: Why do policy-makers persist in such enterprises ...
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This book explores the unintended and unanticipated effects associated with ‘modernization’ projects and tackles the key question that they provoke: Why do policy-makers persist in such enterprises in the face of evidence that they tend to fail? The book first discusses what is meant by ‘modernization’ and ‘unintended consequences’, placing public policy reform within more general intellectual and social trends. It presents eight case study ‘modernization’ projects. Their architects promised faster trains, a more efficient and reactive health service, a more motivated public service, better performing local government, enhanced information for prospective US university students, reduced rates of child malnutrition in developing countries, and a free, open, safe, interconnected cyberspace for people to conduct their social and political life. Each case provides a neat story with a paradox that varies the modernization theme and tackles the question: Why was the project pursued? The conclusion categorizes the cases in terms of their outcome, from success to disappointment, and suggests some strategies for a more balanced version of modernization for current and future policy-makers.Less
This book explores the unintended and unanticipated effects associated with ‘modernization’ projects and tackles the key question that they provoke: Why do policy-makers persist in such enterprises in the face of evidence that they tend to fail? The book first discusses what is meant by ‘modernization’ and ‘unintended consequences’, placing public policy reform within more general intellectual and social trends. It presents eight case study ‘modernization’ projects. Their architects promised faster trains, a more efficient and reactive health service, a more motivated public service, better performing local government, enhanced information for prospective US university students, reduced rates of child malnutrition in developing countries, and a free, open, safe, interconnected cyberspace for people to conduct their social and political life. Each case provides a neat story with a paradox that varies the modernization theme and tackles the question: Why was the project pursued? The conclusion categorizes the cases in terms of their outcome, from success to disappointment, and suggests some strategies for a more balanced version of modernization for current and future policy-makers.
Harry Scarbrough and Jacky Swan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199545490
- eISBN:
- 9780191720093
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545490.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Knowledge Management
Many organizations ‘re-invent the wheel’ by failing to capture and spread what has been learned from particular projects. This inability to exploit the learning from projects has worrying ...
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Many organizations ‘re-invent the wheel’ by failing to capture and spread what has been learned from particular projects. This inability to exploit the learning from projects has worrying implications for the growing popularity of the project form as a way of organizing work. This chapter identifies the role which project work plays as a source of learning which emerges alongside, within, and sometimes against, communities of practice. The theoretical framework produced by this analysis is explored through brief case-study descriptions of three projects which produced very different outcomes in terms of the generation, capture and spread of learning. This allows us to derive some conclusions as to the factors influencing the role of projects as a source of learning within organizations, and the implications for attempts to exploit such learning as an organizational resource.Less
Many organizations ‘re-invent the wheel’ by failing to capture and spread what has been learned from particular projects. This inability to exploit the learning from projects has worrying implications for the growing popularity of the project form as a way of organizing work. This chapter identifies the role which project work plays as a source of learning which emerges alongside, within, and sometimes against, communities of practice. The theoretical framework produced by this analysis is explored through brief case-study descriptions of three projects which produced very different outcomes in terms of the generation, capture and spread of learning. This allows us to derive some conclusions as to the factors influencing the role of projects as a source of learning within organizations, and the implications for attempts to exploit such learning as an organizational resource.
