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Energy Efficiency in Industry
by Markus Blesl Alois KesslerThis book quantifies the potential for greater energy efficiency in industry on the basis of technology- and sector-related analyses. Starting from the methodological fundamentals, the first part discusses the electricity- and heat-based basic technologies and cross-sectional processes on the basis of numerous application examples. In addition to classic topics such as lighting and heat recovery, the study also covers processes that have received less attention to date, such as drying and painting. The second part is devoted to energy-intensive industries, in particular metal production and processing, the manufacture of the non-metallic materials cement and glass, and the chemical, paper, plastics and food industries. Both parts are concluded by placing them in a larger energy and economic context. The findings are condensed into checklists at many points and summarized in the overall view at the end to form generally applicable recommendations.This book is a translation of the original German 2nd edition Energieeffizienz in der Industrie by Markus Blesl and Alois Kessler, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2017. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.
Energy Efficient Affordable Housing: Policy Design and Implementation in Canadian Cities
by Sasha TsenkovaThis book provides the first comparative assessment of the energy-efficiency retrofit programs in the social housing sector of Canadian cities, focusing on program efficiency and effectiveness. The analytical framework explores key policy instruments - regulatory, fiscal and institutional - in relation to major results achieved. The approach is interdisciplinary, supported by rich empirical data from case studies, observations and interviews. The book explores important strategies for the provision of green and affordable housing, while addressing climate change imperatives and resilience issues. This is of great interest to researchers, policy makers, city leaders, professionals and students. Its value added contribution to scholarship is complemented by practical relevance for social housing organisations in countries with a small residual housing sector. It offers valuable lessons for the design, planning and implementation of energy retrofit programs in North America and beyond.
The Energy Equation: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Energy in Business
by Greg BakerA groundbreaking approach to unlocking the power of energy for professional productivity and business success The Energy Equation provides a new approach to achieving marketplace success by leveraging the internal workings of your business. The energy of your business is part of a physical system. Just like any other form of energy, it can be drained and wasted or be harnessed and optimized. This book offers a revolutionary contribution to management science that can be used to drive change, improve collaboration, enhance performance, strengthen organizational health and agility, and much more. Author Greg Baker, CEO of Advance Consulting—a leading management consulting and professional development firm specializing in the transformation of people, teams, and organizations—shows you how to use “enterprise” energy to dramatically increase professional productivity and enhance business performance. The Energy Equation teaches you how to “see” the energy of your company, enabling you to understand why some things work and others don’t. The traditional “surface-level management” model no longer works in the 21st century; a much deeper view is needed. The Energy Equation will help you unlock the hidden power of energy in your business: Eliminate unnecessary conflict that saps the energy of your business Build business agility, boost employee engagement, and establish a positive culture throughout your organization Optimize your daily business, manage change, and prepare for the future of work View your business through the lens of energy to see what is really happening beneath the surface The Energy Equation is a powerful resource for any person or business seeking to adapt and thrive in the challenging global business environment.
Energy Humanities. Current State and Future Directions
by Matúš Mišík Nada KujundžićThis edited book explicitly deals with the energy humanities, summarising existing knowledge in the area and outlining possible future directions for the nascent field. Assuming a variety of disciplinary stances and using a plethora of methodologies to address a number of pressing energy-related issues, the individual contributions showcase the crucial importance of including the humanities and social sciences into the current discussion on energy. Furthermore, they illustrate one of the central claims of the energy humanities, namely, that energy permeates all aspects of our contemporary modes of existence, and is inextricably linked with historical, political, social, ideological, and cultural issues, relationships, and practices.Through numerous case studies, Energy Humanities and Energy Transition looks to the past, present, and future in search of examples of best practices and possible models for pathways to a successful energy transition and life ‘after oilʼ. While much of existing research on energy humanities has been criticised for its excessive focus on oil, this book considers a wide range of energy resources, including nuclear energy, renewables, and natural gas. Furthermore, it brings to the forefront under-researched topics such as the colonial legacy inscribed in energy infrastructure and the energy history of the humanities. The contributions in this volume explore not only how the perspectives and expertise of the humanities and social sciences can alter the discourse on energy transition, and our way of thinking about possible solutions and future scenarios, but also how their new focus on energy affects the disciplines themselves.Energy Humanities and Energy Transition presents a variety of theories, methods, topics, and disciplinary angles, meaning it will be of interest to a wide audience, from practitioners and policy makers, to students and researchers working across the humanities and social sciences. The thematically oriented structure, distinct focus of each individual chapter, and the comprehensive introduction and conclusion that contextualize the contributions within the wider framework of energy transition, make this edited book accessible to readers from many different fields and suitable for various university programs.
Energy Impacts: A Multidisciplinary Exploration of North American Energy Development
by Jeffrey B. Jacquet Julia H. Haggerty Gene L. TheodoriDevelopment of various energy sources continues across North America and around the world, raising questions about social and economic consequences for the places and communities where these activities occur. Energy Impacts brings together important new research on site-level social, economic, and behavioral impacts from large-scale energy development. Featuring conceptual and empirical multidisciplinary research from leading social scientists, the volume collects a broad range of perspectives to understand North America’s current energy uses and future energy needs. Twelve chapters from respected scholars in a variety of disciplines present new ways to consider and analyze energy impact research. Focused on varied energy topics, geographies, and disciplines, each chapter includes a policy brief that summarizes the work and provides “key takeaways” to apply the findings to policy and public discourse. Meaningful public engagement is critical in limiting the negative implications of energy development, and understanding the social influences on and of energy systems is a cornerstone of addressing the climate crisis. As such, Energy Impacts is a significant work for students, scholars, and professionals working in sociology, education, geography, environmental studies, and public health. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1528422. Publication is also supported, in part, by Montana State University. Contributors: Ali Adil, Lisa Bailey-Davis, Nancy Bowen-Elizey, Morey Burnham, Weston Eaton, Heather Feldhaus, Felix Fernando, Emily Grubert, C. Clare Hinrichs, John Hintz, Richard Hirsh, Season Hoard, Tamara Laninga, Eric Larson, Achla Marathe, Natalie Martinkus, Seven Mattes, Ronald Meyers, Patrick Miller, Ethan Minier, Myra Moss, Jacob Mowery, Thomas Murphy, Sevda Ozturk Sari, John Parkins, Christopher Podeschi, Nathan Ratledge, Sanne Rijkhoff, Kelli Roemer, Todd Schenk, Anju Seth, Kate Sherren, Jisoo Sim, Marc Stern, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Cameron Whitley, Laura Zachary
Energy Justice: A Local Content Analytical Framework for Sub-Saharan Africa (Energy, Climate and the Environment)
by Rukonge Sospeter MuhongoThis book explores local content policies and their role in natural resource management within the realm of energy justice. Based on several country case studies it discusses the role of regional integration for such policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Energy justice has been widely applied across different aspects of development, but here the principles of justice are specifically integrated with the management and implementation of oil and gas projects. Such an analysis offers novel means of implementing policies in local regions, moving away from a one-size fits all approach that leads to the ineffective transplantation of policies from developed economies to developing Sub-Saharan economies. The book argues that with a regional approach, Sub-Saharan Africa can leverage natural resources, industrial parks, supplier clusters, regional financing mechanisms and regional training facilities which would drive down the costs of production, increase efficiency and integrate the local Sub-Saharan population into the oil and gas industry. This would result in the benefits as well as the environmental concerns and responsibilities intrinsic to these industries, being spread more equally amongst local and none local stakeholders. This book will be a valuable resource for scholars and students as well as policy makers and practitioners in the areas of extractive industry-related disciplines energy governance, and economic development in Africa.
Energy Justice: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
by Elena V. Shabliy Martha J. Crawford Dmitry KurochkinThis book offers an insight into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and discusses energy justice issues within this framework. The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development have become popular among local communities, international policymakers, and researchers. In addition to these important topics, themes such as climate justice, environmental justice, global energy justice, ecological justice, sustainable justice, and procedural justice remain attractive to scholars and researchers internationally. In this book, scholars elaborate on various responses to human-induced climate change, calling for action, mitigation, and adaptation, and encouraging further thorough analysis and research in the field.
The Energy of Success: Power Up Your Productivity, Transform Your Habits, and Maximize Workplace Motivation
by Rebecca AhmedIncrease your positive energy at work—and help your team do the same In The Energy of Success, award-winning energy expert Rebecca Ahmed reveals precisely how to shift your physical, emotional, and mental potential through proven, easy-to-use strategies you can start using today. When you learn to shift your own and your team's energy (even if you are not in charge!), you will immediately increase their joy and enthusiasm, transform your workplace, and infuse positivity into your workplace…for everyone. In the book, you'll find five energetic success principles and practical steps you can take immediately to improve your life and the positive influence you can have on the people around you. You'll also discover: Key takeaways to empower others and prepare and control your own personal energy levels at work Critical insights into how you can shift your employees' focus from dwelling on challenges to innovating and communicating solutions Ways to control your responses and reactions to external factors at work, at home, and everywhere else Perfect for employees of all levels, The Energy of Success is a must-read resource for professionals everywhere who hope to change and improve their energy to unlock new levels of success and happiness.
Energy Poverty, Practice, and Policy (Progressive Energy Policy)
by Catherine ButlerThis Open Access book examines the implications of welfare policy for energy poverty and engages with key conceptual debates at the forefront of energy demand research. Academic work on energy poverty has rarely been brought into conversation with practice-theory-based approaches to energy use and sustainability. This book reveals how novel insights can be made visible through combining these different ways of thinking about energy demand issues. It presents a distinctive approach to energy poverty that places inequalities at the heart of debates about the advancing energy intensity of contemporary societies.
Energy Systems Evaluation: Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (Green Energy and Technology)
by Jingzheng RenThis book presents various multi-criteria analysis methods for sustainability-oriented analysis and decision-making for energy systems, under various different conditions and scenarios. It presents methodologies to answer the questions relating to which of the options are the most sustainable among the alternatives, and how multi-criteria decision analysis methods can be used to select the most sustainable energy systems. A systematic innovative methodological framework is presented, which enables the most appropriate energy system to be selected under different conditions including: Scientific decision support tools for sustainable energy system selection; Fuzzy, grey, and rough sets based multi-criteria decision analysis; Decision-making models under uncertainties; and The combination of life cycle thinking and multi-criteria decision analysis This book is of interest to researchers, engineers, decision makers, and postgraduate students within the field of energy systems, sustainability, and multi-criteria decision analysis.
Energy Transition of the Electricity Sectors in the European Union and Japan: Regulatory Models and Legislative Solutions
by Maciej M. SokołowskiThis book provides a comprehensive overview of the energy policies in the European Union and Japan in terms of electricity markets and climate action, including energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and the reduction of emissions. The book evaluates and compares the regulatory frameworks for achieving energy transitions by answering a number of questions focused on the essence and range of the regulatory models used by leading global economies which herald carbon neutrality by 2050. The book provides a useful framework that systematises Japanese and European energy policies and legislation including electricity-related policies, plans, and programmes. Discussing these issues in relation to the European and Japanese 2050 energy transition the author delves into the four pillars of the transition: market reform, reduction of emissions, promotion of renewables, and enhancing energy efficiency. Each chapter demonstrates the timing of the actions undertaken both in Europe and Japan; analyses the character of the conducted actions, evaluates the stakeholders of the realised agenda; and presents the technologies involved in the energy transition.
Energy Transitions
by Olivier Labussière Alain NadaïThis book elucidates what it means to transition to alternative sources of energy and discusses the potential for this energy transition to be a more democratic process. The book dynamically describes a recent sociotechnical study of a number of energy transitions occurring in several countries - France, Germany and Tunisia, and involving different energy technologies - including solar, on/off-shore wind, smart grids, biomass, low-energy buildings, and carbon capture and storage. Drawing on a pragmatist tradition of social inquiry, the authors examine the consequences of energy transition processes for the actors and entities that are affected by them, as well as the spaces for political participation they offer. This critical inquiry is organised according to foundational categories that have defined the energy transition - ‘renewable’ energy resources, markets, economic instruments, technological demonstration, spatiality (‘scale’) and temporality (‘horizon(s)’). Using a set of select case studies, this book systematically investigates the role these categories play in the current developments in energy transitions.
Energy Transitions and Climate Change Issues in Asia
by Soocheol Lee Ken-Ichi Akao Budy Prasetyo Resosudarmo Shiqiu Zhang Jong Ho Hong Orapan Nabangchang-SrisawalakThe rapid pace of economic development and urbanization in Asia have led to several major problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, mass consumption, and depletion of natural resources. These problems pose a major threat to a sustainable future for Asia and are hindering many Asian countries' goal of becoming carbon-neutral by the middle of this century. Solving these problems requires a comprehensive understanding of the nature of energy consumption, exploitation of natural resources, and deterioration of the environment.To accelerate the green energy transition and promote efficient resource use in Asia, a range of policy options and joint efforts among Asian countries will be required, including carbon pricing, resource tax reform, the expansion of transition finance, support for the development of low-carbon, and resource-efficient social infrastructure. However, Asia is home to many countries, each in a different stage of economic development and with its own culture and customs. Practical implementation of these policies will require bringing together researchers, policymakers, and citizens to share their knowledge and engage in discussions to generate policy ideas that are appropriate for each country. The purpose of this book is to share theoretical and empirical knowledge and convey policy implications that can be expected to accelerate energy transition and resource use effectiveness toward a sustainable future in Asia.
Energy Transitions and the Future of the African Energy Sector: Law, Policy and Governance
by Victoria R. NaluleThis book explores current developments in the African energy sector and highlights how these are likely to be affected by the ongoing global efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy. It analyses the legal, regulatory and policy frameworks at the national and regional level as they relate to Energy transition in Africa and discusses how regionalism is increasingly utilized to tackle energy access and climate change challenges. Using case studies from across the continent, several key thematic issues, including gender justice, social license to operate, local content and conflict of energy laws are covered in detail. The authors also uniquely examine the progressive nature of global energy use and introduce the new concept of ‘Energy Progression.’ This book will be an invaluable reference for researchers and policymakers looking for a comprehensive overview of the field.
Energy Use in Cities: A Roadmap for Urban Transitions
by Stephanie Pincetl Hannah Gustafson Felicia Federico Eric Daniel Fournier Robert Cudd Erik PorseIn an era of big data and smart cities, this book is an innovative and creative contribution to our understanding of urban energy use. Societies have basic data needs to develop an understanding of energy flows for planning energy sustainability. However, this data is often either not utilized or not available. Using California as an example, the book provides a roadmap for using data to reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions by targeting programs and initiatives that will successfully and parsimoniously improve building performance while taking into account issues of energy affordability. This first of its kind methodology maps high-detail building energy use to understand patterns of consumption across buildings, neighborhoods, and socioeconomic divisions in megacities. The book then details the steps required to replicate this methodology elsewhere, and shows the importance of openly-accessible building energy data for transitioning cities to meet the climate planning goals of the twenty-first century. It also explains why actual data, not modeled or sampled, is critical for accurate analysis and insights. Finally, it acknowledges the complex institutional context for this work and some of the obstacles – utility reluctance, public agency oversight, funding and path dependencies. This book will be of great value to scholars across the environmental sectors, but especially to those studying sustainable urban energy as well as practitioners and policy makers in these areas.
Enforcing Ecocide: Power, Policing & Planetary Militarization
by Alexander Dunlap Andrea BrockPolicing and ecological crises – and all the inequalities, discrimination, and violence they entail – are pressing contemporary problems. Ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change threaten local communities and ecosystems, and, cumulatively, the planet as a whole. Police brutality, wars, paramilitarism, private security operations, and securitization more widely impact people – especially people of colour – and habitats. This edited collection explores their relationship, and investigates the numerous ways in which police, security, and military forces intersect with, reinforce, and facilitate ecological and climate catastrophe. Employing a case study-based approach, the book examines the relationships and entanglements between policing and ecosystems, revealing the intimate connection between political violence and ecological degradation.
Enforcing Freedom: Drug Courts, Therapeutic Communities, and the Intimacies of the State (Studies in Transgression)
by Kerwin KayeIn 1989, the first drug-treatment court was established in Florida, inaugurating an era of state-supervised rehabilitation. Such courts have frequently been seen as a humane alternative to incarceration and the war on drugs. Enforcing Freedom offers an ethnographic account of drug courts and mandatory treatment centers as a system of coercion, demonstrating how the state uses notions of rehabilitation as a means of social regulation.Situating drug courts in a long line of state projects of race and class control, Kerwin Kaye details the ways in which the violence of the state is framed as beneficial for those subjected to it. He explores how courts decide whether to release or incarcerate participants using nominally colorblind criteria that draw on racialized imagery. Rehabilitation is defined as preparation for low-wage labor and the destruction of community ties with “bad influences,” a process that turns participants against one another. At the same time, Kaye points toward the complex ways in which participants negotiate state control in relation to other forms of constraint in their lives, sometimes embracing the state’s salutary violence as a means of countering their impoverishment. Simultaneously sensitive to ethnographic detail and theoretical implications, Enforcing Freedom offers a critical perspective on the punitive side of criminal-justice reform and points toward alternative paths forward.
Enforcing Normalcy
by Lennard J. DavisIn this highly original study of the cultural assumptions governing our conception of people with disabilities, Lennard J. Davis argues forcefully against "ableist" discourse and for a complete recasting of the category of disability itself.Enforcing Normalcy surveys the emergence of a cluster of concepts around the term "normal" as these matured in western Europe and the United States over the past 250 years. Linking such notions to the concurrent emergence of discourses about the nation, Davis shows how the modern nation-state constructed its identity on the backs not only of colonized subjects, but of its physically disabled minority. In a fascinating chapter on contemporary cultural theory, Davis explores the pitfalls of privileging the figure of sight in conceptualizing the nature of textuality. And in a treatment of nudes and fragmented bodies in Western art, he shows how the ideal of physical wholeness is both demanded and denied in the classical aesthetics of representation.Enforcing Normalcy redraws the boundaries of political and cultural discourse. By insisting that disability be added to the familiar triad of race, class and gender, the book challenges progressives to expand the limits of their thinking about human oppression.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Engage and Evade: How Latino Immigrant Families Manage Surveillance in Everyday Life
by Asad L. AsadHow everyday forms of surveillance threaten undocumented immigrants—but also offer them hope for societal inclusionSome eleven million undocumented immigrants reside in the United States, carving out lives amid a growing web of surveillance that threatens their and their families’ societal presence. Engage and Evade examines how undocumented immigrants navigate complex dynamics of surveillance and punishment, providing an extraordinary portrait of fear and hope on the margins.Asad L. Asad brings together a wealth of research, from intimate interviews and detailed surveys with Latino immigrants and their families to up-close observations of immigration officials, to offer a rare perspective on the surveillance that undocumented immigrants encounter daily. He describes how and why these immigrants engage with various institutions—for example, by registering with the IRS or enrolling their kids in public health insurance programs—that the government can use to monitor them. This institutional surveillance feels both necessary and coercive, with undocumented immigrants worrying that evasion will give the government cause to deport them. Even so, they hope their record of engagement will one day help them prove to immigration officials that they deserve societal membership. Asad uncovers how these efforts do not always meet immigration officials’ high expectations, and how surveillance is as much about the threat of exclusion as the promise of inclusion.Calling attention to the fraught lives of undocumented immigrants and their families, this superbly written and compassionately argued book proposes wide-ranging, actionable reforms to achieve societal inclusion for all.
Engaged Decision Making: From Team Knowledge to Team Decisions
by Etiënne A. Rouwette L. Alberto FrancoIn the knowledge economy, teams play a central role in decisions made within and across organisations. The reason why teams with diverse compositions are often used is arguably their ability to develop solutions that none of their members could have produced alone. Systems design, strategy and policy development, risk management, and innovation are just a few of the areas that call for team decisions. Unfortunately, a considerable number of behavioural research studies show that teamwork is fraught with difficulties. Teams often underestimate their fallibility, struggle with conflict, or are unable to share and integrate critical information effectively. Indeed, the evidence shows that two out of three teams do not achieve their goals and half of organisational decisions – many of which are team decisions – fail.In this book, the authors draw from research in psychology, decision and systems sciences – as well as their own research and consulting work that spans more than 20 years – to show how designed interventions can enable team decision making to become rigorous, transparent, and defensible. They cover theory and practice regarding the design, delivery, and evaluation of interventions to support team decision making in situations of varied complexity. Written as an applied resource for researchers and advanced students in particular, this book offers a guide to proven interventions that enhance the process of making team decisions and increase the chances of superior team results.The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
Engaged Spirituality: Ten Lives of Contemplation and Action
by Janet W. ParachinThe lives of these ten people teach and inspire us through their stories of deep spirituality and social action that have moved the world.
Engagement für die Erwachsenenbildung
by Steffi Robak Sabine Schmidt-Lauff Bernd KäpplingerErwachsenenbildung - zwischen ethischer Bezugnahme und demokratischer Verantwortung - beleuchten und diskutieren die AutorInnen die für das Schaffen und Wirken Wiltrud Giesekes zentralen Aspekte Emotion, Kultur, Profession, Beratung, Frauenbildung/Gender und Programm- und Institutionenforschung aus jeweils unterschiedlichen Perspektiven. Die Fortführung der Konstitution und der Ausdifferenzierung des Faches Erwachsenenpädagogik sowie die Sicherung der Institutionen und der dafür notwendigen Professionalität stehen im Mittelpunkt der Beiträge sowohl in realanalytischen, empirischen Fragestellungen als auch in ihrer grundlagentheoretischen Entwicklung.
The Engagement Game: Why Your Workplace Culture Should Look More Like a Video Game (Ignite Reads)
by Jamie MadiganMake work FUN with lessons in engagement that game play can teach us ALLIn videogames, like in any modern workplace, cooperation, continuous learning, hard work, engagement, and a balanced slate of skills are all keys to victory. A lot of thought and science goes into engineering the gamer's experience to provide feedback exactly when it is needed so they can get better and understand how the game works.What if your workplace was designed the same way?Combine the psychology of game design and industrial organizational psychology and you have the perfect formula to become a better leader, manager, coach, and coworker. Ready? Game on.
Engagement, Motivation, and Students’ Achievement (Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research #48)
by Joseph ZajdaThis book analyses discourses of the use of engagement and motivation in schools globally. It focuses on the overall impact of engagement on teachers, students’ motivation, students’ well-being, and standards. It examines the role of engagement and motivation impacting teachers and students in the classroom, and the overall impact of inclusive classroom models to improve their performance in the classroom. The book analyses topics such as cultural identities and engagement, students’ personalities and their impact on learning, the role of intelligence in learning, social learning, engagement in collaborative groups, and teachers’ role in promoting engagement in the classroom. The book contributes in a very scholarly way, to a more holistic understanding of the nexus between globalisation, dominant models of motivation, and students’ engaging learning environments, and their academic achievement.
Engaging and Changing Higher Education Through Brokerage
by Norman JacksonThis title was first published in 2003. During the 1990s, UK higher education was transformed through the full panopoly of levers available to government - legislation, funding to encourage expansion and change, regulation and a national review. As we enter the 21st century, new organizational agents acting as brokers are emerging as important facilitators of systemic change. The central argument in this book is that brokering is a process that facilitates change at all levels of the education system and enables UK higher education to be more adaptive and responsive to society and the global marketplace. The educational broker is a facilitator who connects people, networks, organizations and resources to support change. The process is key to creating new innovative capacities involving partnerships that are now required of a socially attuned and continuously adaptive mass system. The educational brokerage role also includes activities that might be associated with the business world - where the broker is an agent, promoter, dealer or trader, or the political world - where the broker is a diplomat, mediator and negotiator. There has been little recognition, description or analysis of brokerage which is essential to the rapid development and utilization of knowledge in a large, complex, diverse, multipurpose and autonomous HE system. These new capacities offer exciting possibilities for advancing UK HE and for gaining competitive advantage. This volume provides, through a series of organizational case studies, important new insights into the ways in which change is being brokered by national bodies like the Learning and Teaching Support Network, University for Industry, the e-university and the Quality Assurance Agency. It also provides an overview of the international scene to show that UK higher education is leading the world in this approach to the development of a higher education system.