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The Contingency Theory of Organizations (Foundations for Organizational Science)
by Professor Lex DonaldsonWritten by one of the foremost scholars in the field, this volume presents a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the theories, evidence and methodological issues of contingency theory - one of the major theoretical lenses used to view organizations. It includes both an appreciation of the coherency of contingency theory overall and a frank recognition of some of the deficiencies in contingency theory research. The coherent underlying model provides the platform from which to make good some of the deficiencies through a series of improvements in theory and method that chart the course for future research.
The Continuum of Consumer Choice (Routledge Studies in Marketing)
by Gordon R. FoxallHuman consumption is multi- faceted and so requires inter- disciplinary exploration in order to explain a spectrum of experiences that is at once particular and allpervading. Consumer choice is a microcosm of human activity which transcends the purview of the archetypal marketing or consumer psychology textbook. Its perspective is that of social science itself. This book understands the study of consumer choice as a paradigm of human socio- economic activity and seeks further understanding of its socio- economic and philosophical bases.The Continuum of Consumer Choice provides a novel view of consumer choice based on the temporal horizon of the consumer, giving rise to a spectrum of consumption styles from the everyday to the extreme. The focus is on explaining this continuum in behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological terms, affording the reader a unique perspective on the intellectual basis of consumer psychology and marketing. The reader gains insight into a critical combination of economic psychology, neurophysiology, and philosophy, which contributes to establishing marketing and consumer research as scholarly academic pursuits. The book’s particular focus is the proper place and form of an intentional (cognitive and perceptual) explanation of consumer choice.This is an essential monograph for advanced students in consumer psychology and marketing as well as for researchers in these areas. It is particularly relevant to marketing and consumer theory, providing appreciation of their scholarly foundations. It also appeals to students, lecturers, and researchers in social science generally who are alert to the intellectual potential of consumer psychology and marketing as contributors to a full understanding of human behavior and experience.
The Continuum of Restorative Practices in Schools: An Instructional Training Manual for Practitioners
by Margaret Thorsborne Dave VinegradAn instructional manual on restorative justice in schools from world-leading experts; this 'how to' guide offers guidance on the issues of carrying out restorative practices, including coping with day-to-day problems, and offers worksheets for practical daily use.Beginning with challenges to orthodox thinking about behaviour change, it goes on to describe a multitude of approaches to respond to minor incidents in school settings, then takes a close look at using restorative approaches to bullying, before it finally focuses on the formal end of the continuum (including conference preparation and facilitation). This book is reflective of the evolution of processes and responses from the most serious of incidents through to minor everyday issues, making this an essential resource for all school staff.
The Contradictions of Love: Towards a feminist-realist ontology of sociosexuality
by Lena GunnarssonThe Contradictions of Love: Towards a feminist-realist ontology of sociosexuality offers a robust and multifaceted theoretical account of how, in contemporary western societies, women continue to be subordinated to men through sexual love. The book defends and elaborates Anna G. Jónasdóttir’s thesis that men tend to exploit women of their ‘love power’, by means of an innovative application of critical realism, dialectical critical realism and the philosophy of metaReality. Gunnarsson also offers a critique of the state of affairs of contemporary feminist theory. The author demonstrates that the meta-theoretical framework of critical realism offers the tools that can counter the poststructuralist hegemony still prevailing in feminist theory. On a general level, The Contradictions of Love attempts at reconciling theoretical positions which tend to appear in opposition to one another. In particular, it offers a way of bridging the gap between the notion of love as a locus of exploitation and that of love as a force which can conquer oppression. This book is a unique and timely contribution in the field of feminist theory, in that it offers the first elaborate assessment and development of Jónasdóttir’s important but relatively sidestepped work, and in that it counters poststructuralist trends from the point of view of a robust critical realist framework that has hitherto been spectacularly absent in feminist theory, although it offers solutions to metatheoretical problems at the forefront of feminist debates; in the field of critical realism broadly defined, in that it elaborates on crucial ontological themes of (dialectical) critical realism and the philosophy of metaReality via a discussion of the issues of love, sexuality, gender and power; and finally, in the field of love studies, in that it offers a sophisticated account of how gender asymmetries prevail in love despite norms of gender equality and reciprocity, and in that it reconciles feminist, conflict-oriented perspectives on love with notions of love as transcending conflict.
The Contradictions of the Legacy of Brown V. Board of Education, Topeka (1954): A Special Issue of Educational Studies
by Dianne Smith Sandra Winn TutwilerOn May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that separate school facilities were inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional and illegal. Today, 50 years after this landmark decision, much debate surrounds the efficacy of the ruling, particularly for its impact on the education of children of color in U.S. schools. In reality, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was never solely about education; neither did the case include only plaintiffs from Topeka. Both points are important to note as we reflect on the legacy of Brown a half century after the ruling. This journal offers articles, an interview, book reviews and a media review around this area.
The Controller as Lean Leader: A Novel on Changing Behavior with a Lean Cost Management System
by Sue Elizabeth SondergeltTraditional accounting systems have become inadequate for today‘s increasingly competitive global manufacturing environment. They are too complex and too focused on past performance. As manufacturing techniques change and become less labor intensive, accounting methods must also evolve. Regardless of what you call it, Lean accounting is a managemen
The Conundrum of Masculinity: Hegemony, Homosociality, Homophobia and Heteronormativity (Routledge Research in Gender and Society)
by Chris Haywood Thomas Johansson Marcus Herz Nils Hammarén Andreas OttemoPopular culture is awash with discussions about the difficulties associated with being a man. Television talk shows, media articles and government press releases discuss not simply the problem of men, but have more recently focused on the problems of being a man. The Conundrum of Masculinity challenges highly advertised beliefs that men are in crisis and struggling to hold onto traditional masculine habits whilst the world around them changes. Indeed, whilst there is a range of valuable contributions to the field that examine how men live out their lives in different contexts, there are few accounts that examine in detail the building blocks of masculinity or how men are really ‘put together’. Thus, this innovative and timely volume seeks to provide a systematic exploration of the different aspects of masculinity – in particular hegemony, homosociality, homophobia and heteronormativity. An original approach to the field of masculinity studies, this book ultimately presents a critical synthesis that brings together disparate approaches to provide a clear and concise discussion to address the true nature of masculinity. The Conundrum of Masculinity will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in fields such as Gender Studies, Masculinity Studies and Sociology.
The Conversation on Gender Diversity (Critical Conversations)
by Jules Gill-PetersonFrom contributors to The Conversation, a look at gender diversity in the twenty-first century and the intricate and intersecting challenges faced by trans and nonbinary people.With media amplifying the voices of anti-trans legislators and critics, it is important to turn to the stories, research, and expertise of trans and nonbinary people in order to understand the reality of their experiences. In The Conversation on Gender Diversity, editor Jules Gill-Peterson assembles essential essays from The Conversation U.S. by experts on gender diversity. The essays guide readers through seldom-covered aspects of transgender history and present an overview of the social and political barriers that disenfranchise trans people and attempt to remove them from public life. As these essays collectively show, trans and nonbinary people may be forced to be the face of gender and its diversity, but the cultural, political, and social realities of gender connect—and subject—everyone. Despite these challenges, there is an immense culture of love and support across the queer community that is bolstered by activists and allies working against transphobic attacks. Trans and gender-diverse youth are growing up in a world filled with ever-increasing hurdles and rising danger, even with the contemporary public recognition of trans life in culture and media. But they are not facing these challenges alone.The Critical Conversations series collects relevant essays from top scholars on timely topics, including water, biotechnology, gender diversity, gun culture, and more, originally published on the independent news site The Conversation U.S. Contributors: Robert L. Abreu, Catherine Armstrong, Stacy Branham, Christopher Carpenter, L. F. Carver, Mandy Coles, Arin Collin, George B. Cunningham, Avery Dame-Griff, Jules Gill-Peterson, Abbie Goldberg, Gilbert Gonzales, Frances Grimstad, Foad Hamidi, Elizabeth Heineman, Glen Hosking, Bethany Grace Howe, Jay A. Irwin, Shanna K. Kattari, Kacie Kidd, Terry Kogan, Vanessa LoBue, Gabriel Lockett, Megan K. Maas, Julie Manning Magid, Em Matsuno, Tey Meadow, Kyl Myers, Madeleine Pape, Ruth Pearce, Jae A. Puckett, Samantha G. Rosenthal, Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, Elizabeth A. Sharrow, Carl Sheperis, Donna Sheperis, stef m. shuster, Jules Sostre, Ryan Storr, Carl Streed, Diana M. Tordoff, Travers
The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations (Core Teachings Of Dalai Lama Ser.)
by Robert LivingstonAn essential tool for individuals, organizations, and communities of all sizes to jump-start dialogue on racism and bias and to transform well-intentioned statements on diversity into concrete actions—from a leading Harvard social psychologist.&“Livingston has made the important and challenging task of addressing systemic racism within an organization approachable and achievable.&”—Alex Timm, co-founder and CEO, Root Insurance CompanyHow can I become part of the solution? In the wake of the social unrest of 2020 and growing calls for racial justice, many business leaders and ordinary citizens are asking that very question. This book provides a compass for all those seeking to begin the work of anti-racism. In The Conversation, Robert Livingston addresses three simple but profound questions: What is racism? Why should everyone be more concerned about it? What can we do to eradicate it? For some, the existence of systemic racism against Black people is hard to accept because it violates the notion that the world is fair and just. But the rigid racial hierarchy created by slavery did not collapse after it was abolished, nor did it end with the civil rights era. Whether it&’s the composition of a company&’s leadership team or the composition of one&’s neighborhood, these racial divides and disparities continue to show up in every facet of society. For Livingston, the difference between a solvable problem and a solved problem is knowledge, investment, and determination. And the goal of making organizations more diverse, equitable, and inclusive is within our capability.Livingston&’s lifework is showing people how to turn difficult conversations about race into productive instances of real change. For decades he has translated science into practice for numerous organizations, including Airbnb, Deloitte, Microsoft, Under Armour, L&’Oreal, and JPMorgan Chase. In The Conversation, Livingston distills this knowledge and experience into an eye-opening immersion in the science of racism and bias. Drawing on examples from pop culture and his own life experience, Livingston, with clarity and wit, explores the root causes of racism, the factors that explain why some people care about it and others do not, and the most promising paths toward profound and sustainable progress, all while inviting readers to challenge their assumptions.Social change requires social exchange. Founded on principles of psychology, sociology, management, and behavioral economics, The Conversation is a road map for uprooting entrenched biases and sharing candid, fact-based perspectives on race that will lead to increased awareness, empathy, and action.
The Conversational Firm: Rethinking Bureaucracy in the Age of Social Media
by Catherine J TurcoA fast-growing social media marketing company, TechCo encourages all of its employees to speak up. By promoting open dialogue across the corporate hierarchy, the firm has fostered a uniquely engaged workforce and an enviable capacity for change. Yet the path hasn't always been easy. TechCo has confronted a number of challenges, and its experience reveals the essential elements of bureaucracy that remain even when a firm sets out to discard them. Through it all, TechCo serves as a powerful new model for how firms can navigate today's rapidly changing technological and cultural climate.Catherine Turco was embedded within TechCo for ten months. The Conversational Firm is her ethnographic analysis of what worked at the company and what didn't. She offers multiple lessons for anyone curious about the effect of social media on the corporate environment and adds depth to debates over the new generation of employees reared on social media: Millennials who are carrying their technological habits and expectations into the workplace.Marshaling insights from cultural and economic sociology, organizational theory, economics, technology studies, and anthropology, The Conversational Firm offers a nuanced analysis of corporate communication, control, and culture in the social media age.
The Conversational Firm: Rethinking Bureaucracy in the Age of Social Media (The Middle Range Series)
by Catherine TurcoA fast-growing social media marketing company, TechCo encourages all of its employees to speak up. By promoting open dialogue across the corporate hierarchy, the firm has fostered a uniquely engaged workforce and an enviable capacity for change. Yet the path hasn't always been easy. TechCo has confronted a number of challenges, and its experience reveals the essential elements of bureaucracy that remain even when a firm sets out to discard them. Through it all, TechCo serves as a powerful new model for how firms can navigate today's rapidly changing technological and cultural climate.Catherine J. Turco was embedded within TechCo for ten months. The Conversational Firm is her ethnographic analysis of what worked at the company and what didn't. She offers multiple lessons for anyone curious about the effect of social media on the corporate environment and adds depth to debates over the new generation of employees reared on social media: Millennials who carry their technological habits and expectations into the workplace. Marshaling insights from cultural and economic sociology, organizational theory, economics, technology studies, and anthropology, The Conversational Firm offers a nuanced analysis of corporate communication, control, and culture in the social media age.
The Conversational Interface
by Zoraida Callejas Michael Mctear David GriolThis book provides a comprehensive introduction to the conversational interface, which is becoming the main mode of interaction with virtual personal assistants, smart devices, various types of wearable, and social robots. The book consists of four parts. Part I presents the background to conversational interfaces, examining past and present work on spoken language interaction with computers. Part II covers the various technologies that are required to build a conversational interface along with practical chapters and exercises using open source tools. Part III looks at interactions with smart devices, wearables, and robots, and discusses the role of emotion and personality in the conversational interface. Part IV examines methods for evaluating conversational interfaces and discusses future directions.
The Cooperative Business Movement, 1950 to the Present
by Patrizia Battilani Harm G. SchröterThe United Nations declared 2012 the year of cooperatives, emphasizing that there is an alternative to privately owned firms. While greed and mismanagement have caused world financial and economic crises, co-ops offer another type of business for economic activities that is less exposed to aggressive capitalism. This book provides a problem-oriented overview of the development of cooperatives over the last fifty years. The worldwide study addresses the major challenges cooperatives face, such as the organizational innovations introduced in order to acquire necessary risk-capital and implement growth-related strategies, the wave of demutualization in developed nations and their ability to construct an original consumer politics. The contributors to this volume discuss the successes and failures of the cooperatives and ask whether they are an outdated model of enterprise. They document a wave of foundations of new co-ops, new forms of collaboration between them, and a growing trend toward globalization. Generally speaking they show that this special kind of business will doubtless continue to thrive and to maintain an important position in a rapidly changing world economy.
The Cooperative Economy: A Solution to Societal Grand Challenges
by Dovev LavieSocietal grand challenges have taken a toll on humanity, which finds itself at a crossroads. The concentration of wealth and economic inequality, the dominance of Big Tech firms, the loss of privacy and free choice, and the overconsumption and abuse of natural resources have been reinforced by globalization. Regulation, legislation, international treaties, and government and corporate policies have fallen short of offering sufficient remedies. This book identifies the root cause of these problems and offers a bold solution: a new economic system, free from the design flaws that have contributed to these societal grand challenges. The proposed cooperative economy is an ethical community-driven exchange system that relies on collective action to promote societal values while accounting for resource constraints. Unlike the modern economic system that is predominantly driven by opportunistic behavior, the cooperative economy moves away from a materialistic orientation and follows a more balanced perspective that leverages prosocial behavior. The book explains how this new system adopts design principles that promote self-sufficiency of communities, sustainability and entrepreneurship while limiting overconsumption and excessive profit-making. It enhances economic equality by leveraging price subsidization and by restricting salary differences. The book describes how the system serves the interests of consumers, vendors, and employees while preventing the accumulation of power by the platform owner who operates this system. This book is invaluable reading for policymakers who have been searching for solutions to some of the grand challenges that our society faces, and to managers who have sought alternative ways to cope with platform ecosystems, resource shortages, and supply chain disruptions. It revisits long-held assumptions, offering a treatise and food for thought, as well as a plan for concrete action. The book is also highly relevant to scholars and students in the study of economics, strategy, innovation, and public policy and to all readers who are concerned about the future of our planet and society.
The Cooperative Extension Service: A National Assessment
by James A Christenson Paul WarnerThe Cooperative Extension Service, a publicly supported educational agency, is continually struggling to define its proper function and purpose in our changing society. Should its mission be broadly based or narrowly focused? Should staff members be generalists or specialists? Should its clients be primarily rural or urban, farm or nonfarm? What role should Extension play in the information networks of the twenty-first century? Professors Warner and Christenson take a broad look at these and other questions concerning where the Extension Service has been, how well it is doing, and where it ought to go. Theirs is, first, the only comprehensive national survey that looks at the total Extension organization rather than at just one program area. Second, it expresses the viewpoint of Extension clients and the public, rather than that of the organization's staff; and third, it combines outside survey information with data recorded in the Extension Management Information System (EMIS) and other routine agency reports. The authors evaluate, among other things, the extent of public awareness of the agency and its four major program areas (agriculture, home economics, 4-H, and community development), determine the users and nonusers of the programs and the accessibility of programs to the general population, identify the level of satisfaction with existing programs, and outline priorities and policy issues for the future.
The Copy Generic: How the Nonspecific Makes Our Social Worlds
by Scott MacLochlainnAn illuminating look at the concept of the generic and its role in making meaning in the world. From off-brand products to elevator music, the “generic” is discarded as the copy, the knockoff, and the old. In The Copy Generic, anthropologist Scott MacLochlainn insists that more than the waste from the culture machine, the generic is a universal social tool, allowing us to move through the world with necessary blueprints, templates, and frames of reference. It is the baseline and background, a category that orders and values different types of specificity yet remains inherently nonspecific in itself. Across arenas as diverse as city planning, social media, ethnonationalism, and religion, the generic points to spaces in which knowledge is both overproduced and desperately lacking. Moving through ethnographic and historical settings in the Philippines, Europe, and the United States, MacLochlainn reveals how the concept of the generic is crucial to understanding how things repeat, circulate, and are classified in the world.
The Copy Generic: How the Nonspecific Makes Our Social Worlds
by Scott MacLochlainnAn illuminating look at the concept of the generic and its role in making meaning in the world. From off-brand products to elevator music, the “generic” is discarded as the copy, the knockoff, and the old. In The Copy Generic, anthropologist Scott MacLochlainn insists that more than the waste from the culture machine, the generic is a universal social tool, allowing us to move through the world with necessary blueprints, templates, and frames of reference. It is the baseline and background, a category that orders and values different types of specificity yet remains inherently nonspecific in itself. Across arenas as diverse as city planning, social media, ethnonationalism, and religion, the generic points to spaces in which knowledge is both overproduced and desperately lacking. Moving through ethnographic and historical settings in the Philippines, Europe, and the United States, MacLochlainn reveals how the concept of the generic is crucial to understanding how things repeat, circulate, and are classified in the world.
The Copy Generic: How the Nonspecific Makes Our Social Worlds
by Scott MacLochlainnAn illuminating look at the concept of the generic and its role in making meaning in the world. From off-brand products to elevator music, the “generic” is discarded as the copy, the knockoff, and the old. In The Copy Generic, anthropologist Scott MacLochlainn insists that more than the waste from the culture machine, the generic is a universal social tool, allowing us to move through the world with necessary blueprints, templates, and frames of reference. It is the baseline and background, a category that orders and values different types of specificity yet remains inherently nonspecific in itself. Across arenas as diverse as city planning, social media, ethnonationalism, and religion, the generic points to spaces in which knowledge is both overproduced and desperately lacking. Moving through ethnographic and historical settings in the Philippines, Europe, and the United States, MacLochlainn reveals how the concept of the generic is crucial to understanding how things repeat, circulate, and are classified in the world.
The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines
by Loren ColemanVIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE... A disturbed student shoots up his classroom -- and suddenly a wave of mass murder is sweeping through our nation's schools. A young child is taken from her home -- and for months afterward child abductions are frantically reported on an almost daily basis. A surfer is attacked by a shark -- and the public spends an entire summer fearing an onslaught of the deadly underwater predators. Why do the terrible events we see in the media always seem to lead to more of the same? Noted author and cultural behaviorist Loren Coleman explores how the media's over-saturated coverage of murders, suicides, and deadly tragedies makes an impact on our society. This is The Copycat Effect -- the phenomenon through which violent events spawn violence of the same type. From recognizing the emerging patterns of the Copycat Effect, to how we can deal with and counteract its consequences as individuals and as a culture, Loren Coleman has uncovered a tragic flaw of the information age -- a flaw which must be corrected before the next ripples of violence spread.
The Cornerstones of Engaging Leadership (with CD)
by Casey WilsonIn the 21st Century, people are the competitive advantage. The talent and level of dedication of an organization's workforce make the difference in achieving success. The traditional command-oriented leadership style is not enough to keep today's employees motivated—they need to be engaged. They need passion, connection, and inspiration, and a willingness to put forth their best efforts to benefit themselves and their organization. The Cornerstones of Engaging Leadership connects what we know about engagement on an organizational level to what an individual leader can do to increase engagement. Using real-world examples, Wilson reveals the key actions leaders must take to connect with and engage others: •Build trust•Leverage unique motivators•Manage performance from a people-centric perspective•Engage emotions By committing to these four cornerstones of engaging leadership, leaders can unleash the potential of others and inspire effective performance. Through practice tools and exercises (all available for download on a supplemental CD-ROM), readers are challenged to explore, reflect upon, and apply key concepts and techniques of the engaging leader approach.
The Coronavirus: Human, Social and Political Implications
by James MillerThis book describes and analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on the relationship between the United States and China in its human, social and political dimensions. It does so through the experience of faculty and students at Duke University and Duke Kunshan University, a US-China joint venture university. The book reveals the intimate stories of Chinese people trapped in quarantine, situating these stories in a longer historical perspective of plagues and disease prevention in China. It describes the impact of the virus on the racialized perceptions of Chinese-Americans and Chinese students in America. Finally, it offers a preliminary assessment of the impact of the coronavirus on the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party, and on US-China relations. Featuring the work of artists, student journalists, historians, anthropologists and political scientists, this book presents a breadth of insights into the impact of COVID-19.
The Corporate Culture Survival Guide
by Edgar H. ScheinThe father of the corporate culture field and pioneer in organizational psychology on today's changing corporate cultureThis is the definitive guide to corporate culture for practitioners. Recognized expert Edgar H. Schein explains what culture is and why it's important, how to evaluate your organization's culture, and how to improve it, using straightforward, practical tools based on decades of research and real-world case studies. This new edition reflects the massive changes in the business world over the past ten years, exploring the influence of globalization, new technology, and mergers on culture and organization change. New case examples help illustrate the principals at work and bring focus to emerging issues in international, nonprofit, and government organizations as well as business. Organized around the questions that change agents most often ask, this new edition of the classic book will help anyone from line managers to CEOs assess their culture and make it more effective.Offers a new edition of a classic work with a focus on practitionersIncludes new case examples and information on globalization, the effects of technology, and managerial competenciesCovers the basics on changing culture and includes a wealth of practical advice
The Corporate Drain: Solutions for the Inefficient American Workplace (The\corporate Drain Ser.)
by Yoel Yohan“His candid insight . . . transforms the boardroom business as usual attitude and leads your corporation to a higher platform of performance.” —Dr. Norman (Chip) Harbaugh, MD, FAAP, CEO/Chairman of the Board-Emeritus/Founder, Kids Health FirstIt’s time to look at a typical day at work in corporate America and how bad habits, bad procedures, and bad communication creep into the workplace, undermining productivity. Business experts agree that procedural inefficiency is an all-too-familiar theme in today’s workplace and that eliminating it is one of business managers’ most important responsibilities.The Corporate Drain provides business leaders with tools to recognize problems and tips for raising efficiency and improving performance, such as:Unclogging the flood of information (emails, paper reports, meetings, and conference calls)Maximizing the potential of each employee using cost-effective incentivesHow training can never be underestimated or over-appliedThe globalization of the business world challenges American companies to observe and understand how cultural diversity affects their operations. Author Yoel Yohan, raised in India and educated at a British military school, accredits his successful career at global giant, United Parcel Service, in part to his own cultural diversity.In The Corporate Drain, Yohan provides powerful examples and tools for profitable growth in today’s international marketplace.“Addresses the shortfalls in corporate America and uses a common-sense approach in fixing workplace problems. Yoel integrates appropriate humor and not only educates but entertains as well.” —Bill Ribble, former UPS VP“Yoel has captured the essence of American corporate culture. His recommended solutions can be easily implemented in any business.” —Atif Abdulmalik, CEO, Arcapita Bank
The Corporate Hero's Journey: Your Path to Being an Impact Intrapreneur
by Heiko Hosomi SpitzeckImpact intrapreneurs at some of the most powerful organizations in the world are designing new, more sustainable businesses from within. They put their values to work and transform their corporations into a force for good. In a corporate world that still largely prioritizes profit above all else, these people shine a light on how to balance profit with impact, and the inspirational stories captured in this book guide leaders and managers to do the same.The lack of purpose beyond profit is causing millions of people to question their work and even to leave the corporate world altogether. Companies are struggling with recruitment and retention, as people seek a greater sense of purpose. For many, this would mean finding a way to use their work as a platform for positive social and environmental impact. This book will inspire this change for leaders seeking a different and better way forward. Structured around the stages of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey – upon which Star Wars was based – this book combines the philosophy of Star Wars with inspiring stories of impact intrapreneurs. You’ll get to know Corporate Jedi such as Susie Lonie and Nick Hughes, who, while working for Vodafone in Kenya introduced a mobile payment method which brought financial inclusion to millions; Myriam Sidibé at Unilever, who turns making soap into saving lives; and Gib Bulloch, founder of Accenture Development Partnerships, which provides first-class consulting services to NGOs leveraging their impact. With actionable advice, such as how to create a business case, how to measure social impact, and more, the book is not only an entertaining read, but also helps executives apply insights to their own daily work.Written for leaders, managers, and all professionals looking to create positive impact through their work, this book will give future Corporate Jedi the courage and tools to use the force of business for good.
The Corporate Life Cycle: Business, Investment, and Management Implications
by Aswath DamodaranTHE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING COMPANY GROWTH AND DECLINE —FROM THE UNDISPUTED EXPERT ON VALUATIONThroughout his storied career, Aswath Damodaran has searched for the universal key to demystify corporate finance and valuation. Now, at last, he offers the groundbreaking answer to readers everywhere.It turns out there is a corporate lifecycle very much like our own — with unique stages of growth and decline. And just as we must learn to act our age, so too must companies. By better understanding how corporations age and the characteristics of each stage of their lifecycle, we can unlock the secrets behind any businesses behavior and optimize our management and investment decisions accordingly.In Aswath Damodaran&’s The Corporate Life Cycle, readers will learn— What markers tell where a company falls on its corporate lifecycle, and crucial insights for managers as they navigate the different stages Why the shape and timing of life cycles varies across different industriesWhen transition points pose special challenges to companies—and strategies to conquer themHow differences in investment philosophies, in particular the divide between growth and value investing, should lead investors towards companies at different lifecycle stagesAs the corporate lifecycle touches virtually every aspect of business, this book is for anyone with skin in the corporate finance game—from managers to investors, from novices to seasoned pros. Aswath Damodaran&’s The Corporate Life Cycle is the definitive guide to understanding businesses growth, behavior, and value.