Managing Development

Roger Ebert is the gold standard for movie critics. And his Movie Yearbook has been the go-to source for movie lovers for more than 25 years. Roger Ebert's "criticism shows a nearly unequaled grasp of film history and technique, and formidable intellectual range. . . ." --"New York Times" Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert presents more than 600 full-length critical movie reviews, along with interviews, tributes, and journal entries inside "Roger Ebert""'""s Movie Yearbook 2013." It includes every movie review Ebert has written from January 2010 to July 2012. Also included in the Yearbook: --In-depth interviews with newsmakers and celebrities --Tributes to those in the film industry who have passed away recently --Essays on the Oscars, reports from the Toronto Film Festival, and entries into Ebert's Little Movie Glossary

Managing Development is an authoritative text for all courses in development management, and provides insights into the partnership approach to development. It demonstrates how changing institutional imperatives, terminology and political agendas have resulted in new types of relationships emerging between groups and organizations in the development process. The book examines these opportunities, both by analysing the underlying concepts and agendas, and by thinking explicitly about what these mean for management practice. The contributors suggest ways in which inter-organizational relationships can be worked out in practice, and provide examples and case studies which explore ways of managing real-life complexities in development ma

The complex and dynamic interlinks between natural resource management (NRM) and development have long been recognized by national and international research and development organizations and have generated voluminous literature. However, much of what is available in the form of university course books, practical learning manuals and reference materials in NRM is based on experiences from outside Africa. Managing Natural Resources for Development in Africa: A Resource Book provides an understanding of the various levels at which NRM issues occur and are being addressed scientifically, economically, socially and politically. The book's nine chapters present state-of-the-art perspectives within a holistic African context. The book systematically navigates the tricky landscape of integrated NRM, with special reference to Eastern and Southern Africa, against the backdrop of prevailing local, national, regional and global social, economic and environmental challenges. The authors' wide experience, the rich references made to emerging challenges and opportunities, and the presentation of different tools, principles, approaches, case studies and processes make the book a rich and valuable one-stop resource for postgraduate students, researchers, policymakers and NRM practitioners. The book is designed to help the reader grasp in-depth NRM perspectives and presents innovative guidance for research design and problem solving, including review questions, learning activities and recommended further reading. The book was developed through a writeshop process by a multi-disciplinary team of lecturers from the University of Nairobi, Egerton University, Kenyatta University, the University of Zimbabwe, the University of Malawi, Makerere University and the University of Dar es Salam. In addition, selected NRM experts from regional and international research organizations including the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), the Africa Forest Forum, RUFORUM, IIRR and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) participated in the writeshop and contributed material to the book.

This book presents a critical view of economic development in the last 50 years and evaluates different approaches taken that led to success or failure. It covers development policies, methods, procedures, as well as development project selection and how the one-size-fits-all approach taken by major players in development resulted in huge waste and disappointments. Global examples and comparisons are used to identify the need for selective strategies and new ways to assure development effectiveness.

The Practical, Start-to-Finish Guide to Planning and Leading Iterative Software Projects Iterative processes have gained widespread acceptance because they help software developers reduce risk and cost, manage change, improve productivity, and deliver more effective, timely solutions. But conventional project management techniques don’t work well in iterative projects, and newer iterative management techniques have been poorly documented. Managing Iterative Software Development Projects is the solution: a relentlessly practical guide to planning, organizing, estimating, staffing, and managing any iterative project, from start to finish. Leading iterative development experts Kurt Bittner and Ian Spence introduce a proven, scalable approach that improves both agility and control at the same time, satisfying the needs of developers, managers, and the business alike. Their techniques are easy to understand, and easy to use with any iterative methodology, from Rational Unified Process to Extreme Programming to the Microsoft Solutions Framework. Whatever your role–team leader, program manager, project manager, developer, sponsor, or user representative–this book will help you Understand the key drivers of success in iterative projects Leverage “time boxing” to define project lifecycles and measure results Use Unified Process phases to facilitate controlled iterative development Master core concepts of iterative project management, including layering and evolution Create project roadmaps, including release plans Discover key patterns of risk management, estimation, organization, and iteration planning Understand what must be controlled centrally, and what you can safely delegate Transition smoothly to iterative processes Scale iterative project management from the smallest to the largest projects Align software investments with the needs of the business Whether you are interested in software development using RUP, OpenUP, or other agile processes, this book will help you reduce the anxiety and cost associated with software improvement by providing an easy, non-intrusive path toward improved results–without overwhelming you and your team.

Globalization in the 1990s provided both opportunities and challenges for developing and transition economies. Though for some, it offered the chance to achieve economic growth through active involvement in the integrated and liberalized world economy, it also increased their vulnerability to external shocks and volatility. As a consequence, stakeholders at every level of the development and transition process – international organizations, national governments and the private sector – had to review their strategies in order to adjust to the new world economic environment. As the Mexican peso crisis of 1994-1995 and the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 showed dramatically, the cost of maladjustment was not only very high but it also affected many more stakeholders than before, due to the contagious effects of crises. This revealing book analyzes the different methods employed to manage globalization and development. Bringing together an international team of contributors, including Barbara Stallings, Alicia Giron and J. C. Ferraz, it will prove to be a valuable resource for those involved in the fields of development economics and political economy.

Managing Development in a Global Context examines the complex relationship between management, development and globalization from a multidimensional perspective. Key authors in the field explore the historical record, the current global, characteristics of present developmental and managerial dilemmas, and possible future scenarios.

Argues that a company's capability to conceive and design quality prototypes and bring a variety of products to market more quickly than its competitors is increasingly the focal point of competition. The authors present principles for developing speed and efficiency.

This edition has been completely revised. The authors, noted authorities in the field, focus on ways to improve R&D organization productivity and foster excellence in such companies. They describe how to design jobs, organize hierarchies, resolve conflicts, motivate employees, and create an innovative work environment. Features extensive cross-cultural coverage of European and Pacific Rim R&D organizations and policies which greatly differ from the US. Includes an entirely new section on various strategic planning elements unique to an R&D organization along with a case study.

As stakeholder relationships and business in general have become increasingly central to the unfolding of stakeholder thinking, important new topics have begun to take centre stage in both the worlds of practitioners and academics. The role of project management becomes immeasurably more challenging, when stakeholders are no longer seen as simple objects of managerial action but rather as subjects with their own objectives and purposes. This book will aim to explain some of the complexities of project management and managerial relationships with stakeholders by discussing the practice of stakeholder engagement, dialog, measurement and management and the consequences of this practice for reporting and productivity, and performance within project management.