Unravelling Complexity

The revolutions that Gregory Chaitin brought within the fields of science are well known. From his discovery of algorithmic information complexity to his work on Gödel's theorem, he has contributed deeply and expansively to such diverse fields. This book attempts to bring together a collection of articles written by his colleagues, collaborators and friends to celebrate his work in a festschrift. It encompasses various aspects of the scientific work that Chaitin has accomplished over the years. Topics range from philosophy to biology, from foundations of mathematics to physics, from logic to computer science, and all other areas Chaitin has worked on. It also includes sketches of his personality with the help of biographical accounts in some unconventional articles that will provide a rare glimpse into the personal life and nature of Chaitin. Compared to the other books that exist along a similar vein, this book stands out primarily due to its highly interdisciplinary nature and its scope that will attract readers into Chaitin's world

In recent years, many companies have realised customer experience (CX) is the new marketing battle ground. Substantial investments have been made to map customer journeys, identify pain points and improve CX to try and create cut-through. Using real world applications to introduce next generation design tools based on proven concepts from strategy, marketing, psychology and creative problem solving, Lean CX: How to Differentiate at Low Cost and Least Risk discusses how to use Lean Management approaches to innovate your customer experience. This practical book describes how the tools from Lean Management can be applied to the CX innovation problem. The authors draw on hundreds of CX design and strategic innovation projects across a range of industries, both B2B and B2C, from primary research through client work and secondary case studies available in the public domain. The examples include many different vertical industry sectors, including those involving hybrid business models. The cases included share what worked really well and where CX failed. The content goes beyond what actually happened to present an idea of what might be possible with the right design approach and committed resources.

The definitive text on globalization, this book provides an accessible, jargon-free analysis of how the world economy works and its effects on people and places. Peter Dicken synthesizes the latest ideas and empirical data to blaze a clear path through the thicket of globalization processes and debates. The book highlights the dynamic interactions among transnational corporations, nations, and other key players, and their role in shaping the uneven contours of development. Mapping the changing centers of gravity of the global economy, Dicken presents in-depth case studies of six major industries. Now in full color throughout, the text features 228 figures. Companion websites for students and instructors offer extensive supplemental resources, including author videos, applied case studies with questions, lecture notes with PowerPoint slides, discipline-specific suggested further reading for each chapter, and interactive flashcards. ÿ ÿ New to This Edition: *Every chapter thoroughly revised and updated. *All 228 figures (now in color) are new or redesigned. *Addresses the ongoing fallout from the recent global financial crisis. *Discussions of timely topics: tax avoidance and corporate social responsibility; global problems of unemployment, poverty, and inequality; environmental degradation; the Eurozone crisis; and more. *Enhanced online resources for instructors and students.

This volume was first published by Inter-Disciplinary Press in 2013. The Many Facets of Storytelling: Global Reflections on Narrative Complexity explores a range of issues around narratives and their uses in various contexts and aspects of life. The premise for this volume is that human beings are storytelling creatures and stories or narratives are part of our daily lives and have been for centuries. From this starting point, the authors in this volume offer their explorations, reflections and findings from research and practice across disciplines and continents. Certain functions of stories are uncovered - education, social change and identity formation, for example. Some specific uses of narratives are investigated, such as in research methodology and representations in the media. Finally, other narratives are offered for themselves, as performances and (auto)biographical reflections. The chapters in this volume illustrate the many meanings of storytelling, and thus account for the layers of complexity that are inevitable when we discuss narratives.

Stress Cognition and Health examines the key issues in the psychology of stress and health, bringing together a wide range of material generally not found in a single text. It looks at how the external world makes demands upon individuals - potentially causes of stress - while at the same time providing them with resources to cope with stress. It covers topics such as work and employment, families, commuting, large-scale disasters and daily hassles and considers how these impact on biological processes through effects on the immune system.

Traditionally, images have played an important role in politics and policy making, mostly in relation to propaganda and public communication. However, contemporary society is inundated with visual material due to the increasing ubiquity of media and visual technologies that facilitate the production, distribution and consumption of images in new and innovative ways. As such, a visual culture has emerged, and a number of authors have written on visual culture and the technologies which underlie it. However, a clear link to policy making is still lacking. This books links the emergence of this visual culture to policy making and explores how visual culture (and the growing number of technologies used to create and distribute images) influence the course, content and outcome of public policy making. It examines how visual culture and policy making in contemporary society are intertwined, elaborating concepts such as power, framing and storytelling. It then links this to technology, and the way this can enhance power, transparency, registration, surveillance and communication. Dealing with the entire cycle of public policy making, from agenda-setting, to policy design, decision making to evaluation, the book contains diverse international case studies including water management, risk management, live-stock diseases, minority integration, racism, freedom of speech, healthcare, disaster evaluation and terrorism.

After the last Civil War, America emerged a stronger and more united country that went on to witness major economic growth and become a major force for Democracy around the World. America is currently in a New Cold Civil War, it is at a critical inflection point and faces the most serious threat to its democracy in its history. Its Dynamic Free Market Capitalism has been replaced by Crony Capitalism from Wall Street, which is hobbling the proper allocation of Financial Capital to Main Street, thereby stifling real new business growth. In this political commentary, the author argues that we still do not fully understand the negative effects of convergence and consolidation in information technology. We are also overlooking the fact that the rhetoric in both the social and Main-stream Media are being monopolized by the same special interest groups that funds the Activists and control a majority of information technology companies. While muckraker journalists used to look out for our interests, today the media are mostly in cahoots with the tech companies as well as celebrities, activist judges, corporations, and Wall Street capitalists. As such the American people stand alone with no one on their side except the current President whom they had elected on 8th Nov 2016. With odds stacked against them, do Americans stand a chance? Get the answer to that question and many more, also discover what you can do to protect American democracy and help unchain free market capitalism to drive economic growth in America. In our current environment of emotional hysteria hyped up by the Social and Main-stream Media, this book attempts a facts-based approach, leveraging business management methodologies and discipline to analyze issues and their causations. All derived conclusions are also supported by historical equivalents, fundamental concepts per relevant disciplines, related organizational Cultures and finally the motivations and personal agendas of the participants. This fresh new approach is most interesting as it is neither aligned with the left nor right, an independent, unbiased approach to problem-solving.

This book focuses on a renewed interest in work based learning in higher education. Due to an increased emphasis on employability in the graduate population, supported by wider policy changes, work based learning is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in higher education. The authors detail innovations from a breadth of UK universities, where academics have creatively addressed changes in work based learning structure, pedagogy and support systems. These changes in turn recognise the impact of real-life learning experiences on student progression, on both an academic development and a personally transformative level. Encompassing a wide variety of topics, the examples within the book are supported by theory and carefully detailed practice pedagogy. This valuable edited collection will be of interest to practitioners and scholars of work based learning and higher education, as well as a useful practical guide for academic developers.

International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology presents comprehensive reviews and current advances in cell and molecular biology, and includes articles that address the structure and control of gene expression, nucleocytoplasmic interactions, control of cell development and differentiation, and cell transformation and growth. The series has a worldwide readership, maintaining a high standard by publishing invited articles on important and timely topics authored by prominent cell and molecular biologists. Provides comprehensive reviews and current advances Presents a wide range of perspectives on specific subjects Valuable reference material for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and professional scientists

In Discourses of Empire and Commonwealth a range of prominent writers and critics reflect on the legacy of imperialism and the role of writers in forging a new, more cosmopolitan identity. The contributors, writing about a wide range of countries, affirm the freedom of the human spirit, even within unjust or oppressive social systems. They show the power of words to illuminate injustices and unite different peoples. Salman Rushdie famously declared that Commonwealth Literature has had its day: this book provides a vital antidote to this idea. Editors Sandra Robinson and Alastair Niven have put together this mixture of personal reflections, critical overviews, historical re-evaluations and creative works to illustrate the vitality of this genre.