The Value Of Things

Jade, stone tools, honey and wax, ceramics, rum, land. What gave these commodities value in the Maya world, and how were those values determined? What factors influenced the rise and fall of a commodity’s value? The Value of Things examines the social and ritual value of commodities in Mesoamerica, providing a new and dynamic temporal view of the roles of trade of commodities and elite goods from the prehistoric Maya to the present. Editors Jennifer P. Mathews and Thomas H. Guderjan begin the volume with a review of the theoretical literature related to the “value of things.” Throughout the volume, well-known scholars offer chapters that examine the value of specific commodities in a broad time frame—from prehistoric, colonial, and historic times to the present. Using cases from the Maya world on both the local level and the macro-regional, contributors look at jade, agricultural products (ancient and contemporary), stone tools, salt, cacao (chocolate), honey and wax, henequen, sugarcane and rum, land, ceramic (ancient and contemporary), and contemporary tourist handicrafts. Each chapter author looks into what made their specific commodity valuable to ancient, historic, and contemporary peoples in the Maya region. Often a commodity’s worth goes far beyond its financial value; indeed, in some cases, it may not even be viewed as something that can be sold. Other themes include the rise and fall in commodity values based on perceived need, rarity or overproduction, and change in available raw materials; the domestic labor side of commodities, including daily life of the laborers; and relationships between elites and nonelites in production. Examining, explaining, and theorizing how people ascribe value to what they trade, this scholarly volume provides a rich look at local and regional Maya case studies through centuries of time. Contributors: Rani T. Alexander Dean E. Arnold Timothy Beach Briana Bianco Steven Bozarth Tiffany C. Cain Scott L. Fedick Thomas H. Guderjan John Gust Eleanor Harrison-Buck Brigitte Kovacevich Samantha Krause Joshua J. Kwoka Richard M. Leventhal Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach Jennifer P. Mathews Heather McKillop Allan D. Meyers Gary Rayson Mary Katherine Scott E. Cory Sills

"The Value of Things demonstrates that the collection and exchange of objects plays a vital role in our definition of cultural value. It argues that there is a powerful web of links between the department store and the museum, which will continue to reflect - and change - the status of the things we make. An investigation which touches on issues central to art, consumerism and design, The Value of Things asks important questions about our understanding of material culture."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

L'éditeur indique : "This book explores how the Mayans gave value to commodities through the lens of anthropology and archaeology."

A timely examination of the attachments we form to objects and how they might be used to reduce waste Rampant consumerism has inundated our planet with pollution and waste. Yet attempts to create environmentally friendly forms of consumption are often co-opted by corporations looking to sell us more stuff. In Things Worth Keeping, Christine Harold investigates the attachments we form to the objects we buy, keep, and discard, and explores how these attachments might be marshaled to create less wasteful practices and balance our consumerist and ecological impulses. Although all economies produce waste, no system generates as much or has become so adept at hiding its excesses as today’s mode of global capitalism. This book suggests that managing the material excesses of our lives as consumers requires us to build on, rather than reject, our desire for and attraction to objects. Increasing environmental awareness on its own will be ineffective at reversing ecological devastation, Harold argues, unless it is coupled with a more thorough understanding of how and why we love the things that imbue our lives with pleasure, meaning, and utility. From Marie Kondo’s method for decluttering that asks whether the things in our lives “spark joy” to the advent of emotionally durable design, which seeks to reduce consumption and waste by increasing the meaningfulness of the relationship between user and product, Harold explores how consumer psychology and empathetic design can transform our perception of consumer products from disposable to interconnected. An urgent call for rethinking consumerism, Things Worth Keeping shows that by recognizing our responsibility for the things we produce, we can become better stewards of the planet.

Who really creates wealth in our world? And how do we decide the value of what they do? At the heart of today's financial and economic crisis is a problem hiding in plain sight. In modern capitalism, value-extraction - the siphoning off of profits, from shareholders' dividends to bankers' bonuses - is rewarded more highly than value-creation: the productive process that drives a healthy economy and society. We misidentify takers as makers, and have lost sight of what value really means. Once a central plank of economic thought, this concept of value - what it is, why it matters to us - is simply no longer discussed. Yet, argues Mariana Mazzucato in this penetrating and passionate new book, if we are to reform capitalism - to radically transform an increasingly sick system rather than continue feeding it - we urgently need to rethink where wealth comes from. Who is creating it, who is extracting it, and who is destroying it? Answers to these questions are key if we want to replace the current parasitic system with a type of capitalism that is more sustainable, more symbiotic: that works for us all. The Value of Everything will reignite a long-needed debate about the kind of world we really want to live in.

We live in a behavior economy, an environment in which people no longer engage with companies just by purchasing things, but they seek engagement with services that allow them to behave, to leave a mark, and to participate in the community of others. The economic model promoted by the behavior economy is a model where behavior is the only goal of our actions, and where intrinsic motivation is the key to participation, engagement, and the satisfaction of multiple dimensions of value. Value Creation and the Internet of Things describes value delivery and consumption, and the mechanisms by which new value is captured and created, in enterprises dedicated to competing and prospering in this new environment. This book is significant in the context of the Internet of Things becoming mainstream, forcing organizations to re-examine their value creation methodologies in light of new consumer behavior and expectations. The Internet of Things will reframe the existence of the ones enriched by it. It will do so not because it can, but because our motivation will demand it. This is a book about reframing reality for new and incumbent organizations. The reality to reframe is not an imaginary one, but the immediate reality in which one operates: the behavior economy.

A concise and masterful discussion of a proven investing strategy There are many ways to make money in today’s market, but the one strategy that has truly proven itself over the years is value investing. Now, with The Little Book of Value Investing, Christopher Browne shows you how to use this wealth-building strategy to successfully buy bargain stocks around the world. You’ll explore how to value securities and find bargains in the stock market. You’ll also learn to ignore irrelevant noise, “advice” from self-proclaimed gurus, and other obstacles that can throw you off your game. The Little Book of Value Investing also offers: Strategies for analyzing public company financial statements and disclosures Advice on when you truly require a specialist’s opinion Tactics for sticking to your guns when you’re tempted to abandon a sound calculation because of froth in the market Perfect for beginning retail investors of all stripes, The Little Book of Value Investing will also earn a place in the libraries of veteran investors and portfolio managers seeking an expert reference covering the most time-tested lessons of value investing.

101 THINGS I LEARNED® IN BUSINESS SCHOOL will cover a wide range of lessons that are basic enough for the novice business student as well as inspiring to the experienced practitioner. The unique packaging of this book will attract people of all ages who have always wondered whether business school would be a smart career choice for them. Judging by the growing number of people taking the GMATs (the entrance exam for business school) each year, clearly more people than ever are thinking about heading in this direction. Subjects include accounting, finance, marketing, management, leadership, human relations, and much more - in short, everything one would expect to encounter in business school. Illustrated in the same fun, gift book format as 101 THINGS I LEARNED® IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, this will be the perfect gift for a recent college or high school grad, or even for someone already well-versed in the business world.

"Judaism and Christianity as condensed illustrations of how people across time struggle with the materiality of life and death. Speaking across many fields, including classics, history, anthropology, literary, gender, and queer studies, the book journeys through the ancient Mediterranean world by way of the myriad physical artifacts that punctuate the transnational history of early Christianity. By bringing a psychoanalytically inflected approach to bear upon her materialist studies of religious history, Kotrosits makes a contribution not only to our understanding of Judaism and early Christianity, but also our sense of how different disciplines construe historical knowledge, and how we as people and thinkers understand our own relation to our material and affective past"--