- Table View
- List View
Systems Theory and Agile Brand Management: The Educative View of Branding (Systems Thinking)
by Jan LiesBrands started out as communication tools to influence the image of companies or products (inside-out thinking) but have developed into channels of social forces. Powerful brands impact not just customer decisions but also markets and social institutions, such as fashion trends, city life, or even social movements. This book explores the implications of Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems for the theory and practice of agile brand management, in particular highlighting the central role of brand aesthetics and of brands as channels for mutual education between companies and consumers.Since the rise of social media, “perfect” brands have become the mirror of community values as the communities themselves develop brand content. Brands themselves become “living systems” and evolve like systems do. The author introduces systems theory to provide a conceptual framework that integrates the different views of branding: inside-out and outside-in thinking. This Luhmannian theory of branding is discussed against the current background of (Western) societies, which are undergoing a broad shift from hard to soft selling in marketing, influenced by social media. The book is not about whether closed systems analysis and discussion can or should replace traditional management; moreover, it emphasizes the fruitful insights and demonstrates that the power of management is limited and should be extended by looking at the means of closed systems.This book will be of primary value to scholars with an interest in systems theory and thinking, brand theory, and management. The interdisciplinary approach also makes the book a valuable resource for those researching change management, agile management, and sociology.
Systems Theory and Agile Brand Management: The Educative View of Branding (Systems Thinking)
by Jan LiesBrands started out as communication tools to influence the image of companies or products (inside-out thinking) but have developed into channels of social forces. Powerful brands impact not just customer decisions but also markets and social institutions, such as fashion trends, city life, or even social movements. This book explores the implications of Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems for the theory and practice of agile brand management, in particular highlighting the central role of brand aesthetics and of brands as channels for mutual education between companies and consumers.Since the rise of social media, “perfect” brands have become the mirror of community values as the communities themselves develop brand content. Brands themselves become “living systems” and evolve like systems do. The author introduces systems theory to provide a conceptual framework that integrates the different views of branding: inside-out and outside-in thinking. This Luhmannian theory of branding is discussed against the current background of (Western) societies, which are undergoing a broad shift from hard to soft selling in marketing, influenced by social media. The book is not about whether closed systems analysis and discussion can or should replace traditional management; moreover, it emphasizes the fruitful insights and demonstrates that the power of management is limited and should be extended by looking at the means of closed systems.This book will be of primary value to scholars with an interest in systems theory and thinking, brand theory, and management. The interdisciplinary approach also makes the book a valuable resource for those researching change management, agile management, and sociology.
Exploring Climate Change Related Systems and Scenarios: Preconditions for Effective Global Responses (Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research)
by Jeremy Winston WebbJeremy Webb draws on multiple disciplines to piece together the climate change puzzle, identifying what it would take to limit climate change and its impacts.The book starts with a summary of the climate change problem and develops a Climate Change, National Interests, International Cooperation (CCNIIC) model of the climate response system. Webb reviews ‘reverse stress testing’, ‘backcasting’, and ‘theory of change’ methods, showing how they can be used to collect a large sample of possible futures. He also shows how we can explore the multiverse of futures using a new method called thematic chain analysis, finding relevant connections across scenarios. In the second half of the book, Webb explores 175 scenarios collected through 27 interviews with climate change experts. From these scenarios a signal response model is developed. Preconditions for effective social change and behaviour, political will and policy, as well as business and economic activity are synthesised. Lessons include preconditions for effective global responses to climate change, showing what it takes to limit climate change and related impacts. The book finishes with an epilogue, applying the signal response model and preconditions for effective global responses to COVID-19, demonstrating that models from this book can be applied to other global response problems – and used to quickly assess possible response strategies.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental policy and future studies.
Exploring Climate Change Related Systems and Scenarios: Preconditions for Effective Global Responses (Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research)
by Jeremy Winston WebbJeremy Webb draws on multiple disciplines to piece together the climate change puzzle, identifying what it would take to limit climate change and its impacts.The book starts with a summary of the climate change problem and develops a Climate Change, National Interests, International Cooperation (CCNIIC) model of the climate response system. Webb reviews ‘reverse stress testing’, ‘backcasting’, and ‘theory of change’ methods, showing how they can be used to collect a large sample of possible futures. He also shows how we can explore the multiverse of futures using a new method called thematic chain analysis, finding relevant connections across scenarios. In the second half of the book, Webb explores 175 scenarios collected through 27 interviews with climate change experts. From these scenarios a signal response model is developed. Preconditions for effective social change and behaviour, political will and policy, as well as business and economic activity are synthesised. Lessons include preconditions for effective global responses to climate change, showing what it takes to limit climate change and related impacts. The book finishes with an epilogue, applying the signal response model and preconditions for effective global responses to COVID-19, demonstrating that models from this book can be applied to other global response problems – and used to quickly assess possible response strategies.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental policy and future studies.
Mathematical Puzzles: Revised Edition (AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series)
by Peter WinklerResearch in mathematics is much more than solving puzzles, but most people will agree that solving puzzles is not just fun: it helps focus the mind and increases one's armory of techniques for doing mathematics. Mathematical Puzzles makes this connection explicit by isolating important mathematical methods, then using them to solve puzzles and prove a theorem.This Revised Edition has been thoroughly edited to correct errors and provide clarifications, and includes some totally different solutions, modified puzzles, and one entirely new puzzle.Features A collection of the world’s best mathematical puzzles Each chapter features a technique for solving mathematical puzzles, examples, and finally a genuine theorem of mathematics that features that technique in its proof Puzzles that are entertaining, mystifying, paradoxical, and satisfying; they are not just exercises or contest problems.
China, Pakistan and the Belt and Road Initiative: The Experience of an Early Adopter State (ISSN)
by Filippo Boni Pascal Abb Hasan H. KarrarPakistan occupies an elevated role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and hosts its ‘flagship’ project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It has attracted the largest volume of investments under the BRI and opened itself comprehensively to its transformative potential. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of CPEC’s impact on Pakistan’s economy, politics, and society, covering its developmental benefits as well as resulting controversies.Interdisciplinary and international experts capture the complexity of CPEC, presenting new empirical data in the form of interviews, archival materials, and documentary evidence. Covering topics ranging from agriculture to the environment, gender to security, they focus on local outcomes challenging prevalent narratives about the BRI as a strategic, China-driven vehicle to transform other countries in its image. They argue that examples like CPEC should be understood as interactive processes between China and its international partners, which produce interdependent relations between them. Beyond the case of CPEC, these findings contribute to the burgeoning field of ‘Global China’, through a comprehensive yet granular assessment of the first ten years of the BRI’s flagship project.This book will be of interest to scholars of area studies, regionalization, international relations and development studies, as well as China studies and South Asia studies focused on the most important and far-reaching national-level implementation of the BRI to date.
Mathematical Puzzles: Revised Edition (AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series)
by Peter WinklerResearch in mathematics is much more than solving puzzles, but most people will agree that solving puzzles is not just fun: it helps focus the mind and increases one's armory of techniques for doing mathematics. Mathematical Puzzles makes this connection explicit by isolating important mathematical methods, then using them to solve puzzles and prove a theorem.This Revised Edition has been thoroughly edited to correct errors and provide clarifications, and includes some totally different solutions, modified puzzles, and one entirely new puzzle.Features A collection of the world’s best mathematical puzzles Each chapter features a technique for solving mathematical puzzles, examples, and finally a genuine theorem of mathematics that features that technique in its proof Puzzles that are entertaining, mystifying, paradoxical, and satisfying; they are not just exercises or contest problems.
China, Pakistan and the Belt and Road Initiative: The Experience of an Early Adopter State (ISSN)
Pakistan occupies an elevated role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and hosts its ‘flagship’ project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It has attracted the largest volume of investments under the BRI and opened itself comprehensively to its transformative potential. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of CPEC’s impact on Pakistan’s economy, politics, and society, covering its developmental benefits as well as resulting controversies.Interdisciplinary and international experts capture the complexity of CPEC, presenting new empirical data in the form of interviews, archival materials, and documentary evidence. Covering topics ranging from agriculture to the environment, gender to security, they focus on local outcomes challenging prevalent narratives about the BRI as a strategic, China-driven vehicle to transform other countries in its image. They argue that examples like CPEC should be understood as interactive processes between China and its international partners, which produce interdependent relations between them. Beyond the case of CPEC, these findings contribute to the burgeoning field of ‘Global China’, through a comprehensive yet granular assessment of the first ten years of the BRI’s flagship project.This book will be of interest to scholars of area studies, regionalization, international relations and development studies, as well as China studies and South Asia studies focused on the most important and far-reaching national-level implementation of the BRI to date.
Digitalization and Innovation in Health: European and US Perspectives
by Weresa Anna Marzenna Christina Ciecierski Lidia FilusProviding a comparison between context in Europe and the US, this volume investigates the digital transformation of health systems, comparing strategies for digital development while identifying both key innovations and future challenges.The book covers a wide spectrum of topics, from explaining the nature of individual innovations to an analysis of demand-side and supply-side barriers, including funding issues and technological access. It also explores where digitalization is already playing an important role, for example, in clinical trials and disease modeling.Concluding with guidance for policy recommendations, this important book will interest students, scholars, and practitioners across health and social care, medicine, and beyond.
Digitalization and Innovation in Health: European and US Perspectives
by Marzenna Anna Weresa Christina Ciecierski Lidia FilusProviding a comparison between context in Europe and the US, this volume investigates the digital transformation of health systems, comparing strategies for digital development while identifying both key innovations and future challenges.The book covers a wide spectrum of topics, from explaining the nature of individual innovations to an analysis of demand-side and supply-side barriers, including funding issues and technological access. It also explores where digitalization is already playing an important role, for example, in clinical trials and disease modeling.Concluding with guidance for policy recommendations, this important book will interest students, scholars, and practitioners across health and social care, medicine, and beyond.
Technology and Luxury Hospitality: AI, Blockchain and the Metaverse (Routledge Studies in Luxury Management)
by Pethuru Raj Chelliah Park Thaichon Sachin Gupta Pushan Kumar DuttaThe integration of pioneering information and communication technologies has transformed the hospitality sector. This groundbreaking book delves into the transformative power of cutting-edge technologies in the world of high-end travel and accommodation. As the digital revolution continues to reshape our lives, this book offers an exclusive look at how the hospitality industry is adapting and evolving to cater to the sophisticated tastes of the modern, tech-savvy traveller.In this eye-opening exploration, readers will be taken on a journey through the latest innovations in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the metaverse as they intersect with the world of luxury hospitality. From AI-driven concierge services and smart hotel rooms that cater to guests' every whim to the democratization of luxury experiences through blockchain-based loyalty programmes and the rise of virtual reality travel, this book reveals the extraordinary possibilities that lie ahead for the discerning traveller.With insights from international experts, this edited collection provides a comprehensive and engaging overview of the current and future trends shaping the industry and will be valuable to scholars and postgraduate researchers across the hospitality sector, innovation, and luxury management.
A Sociological Approach to Commodification: The Case of Transforming the Post-Socialist Society in Poland (Routledge Advances in Sociology)
by Marek Ziółkowski Rafał Drozdowski Mariusz BaranowskiThis book analyses the processes of commodification and decommodification which have wrought changes in Polish society since 1945. Examining the case of Poland, this book also explores comparisons to other countries in the Eastern European region. It is the first book to capture long-term social change from the perspective of commodification and decommodification processes. This book will appeal to sociologists, economists, historians, anthropologists and political scientists, especially to students and scholars interested in theoretical economics and economic sociology as well as Central and Eastern Europe.
Designing Learning with Digital Technologies: Perspectives from Multimodality in Education (Routledge Research in Digital Education and Educational Technology)
by Fei Victor Lim Mercedes Querol-JuliánThis book offers a multimodal perspective on how to design meaningful learning experiences with digital technologies.Digital education is of increasing importance in today’s digital society and the editors bring together international thought-leaders and well-established academics across geographical regions to explore the topic. The book addresses the need to design learning with digital technologies, especially in a post-pandemic environment where blended learning has become ubiquitous. The book is organised around five themes: designing learning, digital learning designs, digital learning with embodied teaching, digital learning interactions, and digital multimodal literacies. The chapters focus on digital technologies as multimodal semiotic resources and the educational implication of each theme is drawn out from illustrative cases across contexts of learning.Essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students, this book offers state-of-the-art thinking on how educators can design new learning experiences for students through the meaningful and effective use of digital technologies.
Technology and Luxury Hospitality: AI, Blockchain and the Metaverse (Routledge Studies in Luxury Management)
The integration of pioneering information and communication technologies has transformed the hospitality sector. This groundbreaking book delves into the transformative power of cutting-edge technologies in the world of high-end travel and accommodation. As the digital revolution continues to reshape our lives, this book offers an exclusive look at how the hospitality industry is adapting and evolving to cater to the sophisticated tastes of the modern, tech-savvy traveller.In this eye-opening exploration, readers will be taken on a journey through the latest innovations in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the metaverse as they intersect with the world of luxury hospitality. From AI-driven concierge services and smart hotel rooms that cater to guests' every whim to the democratization of luxury experiences through blockchain-based loyalty programmes and the rise of virtual reality travel, this book reveals the extraordinary possibilities that lie ahead for the discerning traveller.With insights from international experts, this edited collection provides a comprehensive and engaging overview of the current and future trends shaping the industry and will be valuable to scholars and postgraduate researchers across the hospitality sector, innovation, and luxury management.
A Sociological Approach to Commodification: The Case of Transforming the Post-Socialist Society in Poland (Routledge Advances in Sociology)
by Marek Ziółkowski Rafał Drozdowski Mariusz BaranowskiThis book analyses the processes of commodification and decommodification which have wrought changes in Polish society since 1945. Examining the case of Poland, this book also explores comparisons to other countries in the Eastern European region. It is the first book to capture long-term social change from the perspective of commodification and decommodification processes. This book will appeal to sociologists, economists, historians, anthropologists and political scientists, especially to students and scholars interested in theoretical economics and economic sociology as well as Central and Eastern Europe.
Designing Learning with Digital Technologies: Perspectives from Multimodality in Education (Routledge Research in Digital Education and Educational Technology)
This book offers a multimodal perspective on how to design meaningful learning experiences with digital technologies.Digital education is of increasing importance in today’s digital society and the editors bring together international thought-leaders and well-established academics across geographical regions to explore the topic. The book addresses the need to design learning with digital technologies, especially in a post-pandemic environment where blended learning has become ubiquitous. The book is organised around five themes: designing learning, digital learning designs, digital learning with embodied teaching, digital learning interactions, and digital multimodal literacies. The chapters focus on digital technologies as multimodal semiotic resources and the educational implication of each theme is drawn out from illustrative cases across contexts of learning.Essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students, this book offers state-of-the-art thinking on how educators can design new learning experiences for students through the meaningful and effective use of digital technologies.
Encounters with the Invisible: Revisiting Spirit Possession in the Himalayas
by Anne De Sales Marie Lecomte–TilouineThis volume considers spirit possession in the Himalayas and the various ways in which invisible powers are made present. It does so by examining material representations of these powers through artefacts, animals, plants and natural substances, while also focusing on narratives of people’s encounters with the invisible that may help them to reconfigure reality. Through these two approaches, the contributions examine new phenomena associated with the concepts of "possession" and "shamanism", which otherwise tend to lead research into well-worn furrows. The book addresses a range of themes, including the gods of the Western Himalayas, death and ritual dissolution among Hyolmo Buddhists in Nepal, gods and rivers as legal persons in India, and the problem of conversion disorder in Nepal.Rich in ethnography, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of anthropology, religion, spiritualism, sociology of religion, Himalayan studies, sociology and South Asia.
Encounters with the Invisible: Revisiting Spirit Possession in the Himalayas
This volume considers spirit possession in the Himalayas and the various ways in which invisible powers are made present. It does so by examining material representations of these powers through artefacts, animals, plants and natural substances, while also focusing on narratives of people’s encounters with the invisible that may help them to reconfigure reality. Through these two approaches, the contributions examine new phenomena associated with the concepts of "possession" and "shamanism", which otherwise tend to lead research into well-worn furrows. The book addresses a range of themes, including the gods of the Western Himalayas, death and ritual dissolution among Hyolmo Buddhists in Nepal, gods and rivers as legal persons in India, and the problem of conversion disorder in Nepal.Rich in ethnography, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of anthropology, religion, spiritualism, sociology of religion, Himalayan studies, sociology and South Asia.
Reflective Assessment for Deep Learning and Knowledge Building: An Empirical Case in China
by Chunlin LeiKnowledge building aims to transform schools into learning communities and bring knowledge creation into schools. The book therefore elaborates on how learning, technology, and assessment can be aligned both online and offline to facilitate such a process.Adopting a quasi-experimental design and drawing on rich data from forum discussions, questionnaires, interviews, learning outcomes, and classroom presentations, this book shows that the knowledge building environment, augmented by reflective assessment and principles, helped Chinese students to develop a deeper approach to learning, improved academic performance, and promoted collective knowledge advances. The book also discusses the potentials and challenges of designing technology-supported, assessment- and principle-based learning environments in tertiary contexts, especially when deep learning and knowledge building capacity are greatly emphasised in the knowledge era.The book will be of interest to scholars and educators working in learning sciences and computer-supported collaborative learning.
Indigenous Architecture in India: Exploring Plural Lifeworlds
by Gauri BharatThis volume focuses on socio- spatial practices of indigenous communities in India. It explores the interrelation between the built environments and lifeworlds, i.e. practices, patterns, and structures of everyday life. The chapters deal with different ideas and definitions of indigeneity, while also addressing the complex equations between the production and perception of built forms, indigenous technologies, on the one hand, and social, environmental and political contexts, questions of aesthetics, identity, and self-representation on the other.From Adivasi art and sacred sites to craft villages and nomadic pastoralists in western India, from indigenous bangle makers in urban north India to terracotta crafts people on the south, each chapter focuses on different communities and the contours of their contemporary lifeworlds. The contributions actively attempt to foreground the logic and perspectives of the communities themselves as the epistemological centre of the architectural and material discourses on indigeneity.This book will be useful for students, teachers, and researchers of architecture, urban design, urban studies, urban development and planning, anthropology, sociology, and museum studies. It will also be of interest to urban planners and designers, policy planners, local government authorities, and professionals engaged in the discipline.
The Lived Experience of Palliative Chaplains: Practising Hospitality in an Inhospitable Land (Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology)
by Caroline YihThis book explores the unique challenges of disenfranchisement faced by Christian chaplains working within the secular and pluralistic context of contemporary healthcare. The case study focuses on practitioners in Hong Kong and showcases the utilisation of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a fruitful basis for practical theological endeavours. The role and perspective of the palliative chaplain as spiritual care specialist is examined, along with the tension that exists with the cultural and organisational context in which they operate. The chapters examine how end of life care practitioners can often face marginalisation, oppression, vulnerability, and disorientation among other difficult experiences that the author unites under a general theme of “homelessness”. The book contributes to discussions regarding fuller integration of the spiritual dimension within a holistic vision of end of life care provision. It will be of particular interest to scholars of practical theology and chaplaincy, as well as palliative medicine.
Reflective Assessment for Deep Learning and Knowledge Building: An Empirical Case in China
by Chunlin LeiKnowledge building aims to transform schools into learning communities and bring knowledge creation into schools. The book therefore elaborates on how learning, technology, and assessment can be aligned both online and offline to facilitate such a process.Adopting a quasi-experimental design and drawing on rich data from forum discussions, questionnaires, interviews, learning outcomes, and classroom presentations, this book shows that the knowledge building environment, augmented by reflective assessment and principles, helped Chinese students to develop a deeper approach to learning, improved academic performance, and promoted collective knowledge advances. The book also discusses the potentials and challenges of designing technology-supported, assessment- and principle-based learning environments in tertiary contexts, especially when deep learning and knowledge building capacity are greatly emphasised in the knowledge era.The book will be of interest to scholars and educators working in learning sciences and computer-supported collaborative learning.
Indigenous Architecture in India: Exploring Plural Lifeworlds
by Gauri BharatThis volume focuses on socio- spatial practices of indigenous communities in India. It explores the interrelation between the built environments and lifeworlds, i.e. practices, patterns, and structures of everyday life. The chapters deal with different ideas and definitions of indigeneity, while also addressing the complex equations between the production and perception of built forms, indigenous technologies, on the one hand, and social, environmental and political contexts, questions of aesthetics, identity, and self-representation on the other.From Adivasi art and sacred sites to craft villages and nomadic pastoralists in western India, from indigenous bangle makers in urban north India to terracotta crafts people on the south, each chapter focuses on different communities and the contours of their contemporary lifeworlds. The contributions actively attempt to foreground the logic and perspectives of the communities themselves as the epistemological centre of the architectural and material discourses on indigeneity.This book will be useful for students, teachers, and researchers of architecture, urban design, urban studies, urban development and planning, anthropology, sociology, and museum studies. It will also be of interest to urban planners and designers, policy planners, local government authorities, and professionals engaged in the discipline.
The Lived Experience of Palliative Chaplains: Practising Hospitality in an Inhospitable Land (Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology)
by Caroline YihThis book explores the unique challenges of disenfranchisement faced by Christian chaplains working within the secular and pluralistic context of contemporary healthcare. The case study focuses on practitioners in Hong Kong and showcases the utilisation of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a fruitful basis for practical theological endeavours. The role and perspective of the palliative chaplain as spiritual care specialist is examined, along with the tension that exists with the cultural and organisational context in which they operate. The chapters examine how end of life care practitioners can often face marginalisation, oppression, vulnerability, and disorientation among other difficult experiences that the author unites under a general theme of “homelessness”. The book contributes to discussions regarding fuller integration of the spiritual dimension within a holistic vision of end of life care provision. It will be of particular interest to scholars of practical theology and chaplaincy, as well as palliative medicine.
Advances in Computational Intelligence and Its Applications
by Sheikh Fahad Ahmad Shadab Siddiqui Rajib Debnath Kakali Das Figlu Mohanty Sumit HazraIt is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we welcome you to the International Conference on Advances in Computational Intelligence and its Applications (ICACIA-2023). In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, computational intelligence stands as a cornerstone, shaping the future of diverse fields and industries. This conference serves as a nexus for researchers, academicians, and industry experts to converge, exchange ideas, and explore the latest advancements in the realm of computational intelligence.