- Table View
- List View
Ecology of Tropical Cities, Volume I: Natural and Social Sciences Applied to the Conservation of Urban Biodiversity
by Piotr Tryjanowski Fabio Angeoletto Mark D. E. FellowesThis contributed volume addresses the global scale of urbanization and its impacts on biodiversity. By adding human capital, cities are incubators for new ideas and technologies, creating the possibility for socially and environmentally sensitive growth, but this is rarely seen. Urban ecology, an essential field that supports planning based on environmental perspectives, is a new science in tropical countries. This book discusses the social inequity embedded in tropical cities and explores how this inequity also materializes in biodiversity, with poor neighborhoods of tropical cities lacking sufficient access to green space, and therefore reduced access to the benefits of nature, and poor support for biodiversity. With the current biodiversity crisis, the traditional approach to protecting pristine areas is insufficient. The chapters in this volume illustrate how tropical cities can act as spaces for biological conservation. Ecological literacy can help cities reconcile the needs of both people and of nature. This book compiles studies by experts from more than 100 institutions and 29 countries on the ecology and biodiversity of tropical cities at multiple scales and applies their studies to urban planning and management. The audience for this book includes researchers, students, and professionals working on environmental, social, economic, cultural, political, architectural, and development projects in urban areas, offering a deep and timely discussion of their influence on the fauna and flora of tropical cities.
Award Winning Customer Service: 101 Ways To Guarantee Great Performance
by Renee EvensonDelivering top-of-the-line customer service is Job #1 for most companies, an important factor in keeping profits high and customers coming back. Customer service problems can damage not just a company’s reputation but its bottom line, so for busy managers -- and business owners with little time to search for solutions -- some fast help is needed. Award-Winning Customer Service offers scores of quick tips for readers looking to improve and then maintain their company’s level of customer service. The book is chock full of practical advice on important topics such as: * planning and goal setting * effective communication * leadership * preparing for change * continual learning * coaching and development * effective feedback * motivational and problem-solving meetings * conflict resolution * follow-up and staying on top of the game * and more. Containing 101 effective tips in all, unique "When this happens, try this" sections, and encouraging quotes, this is an essential reference for anyone who needs guidance or just a refresher on making customers feel truly valued.
Proceedings of I4SDG Workshop 2025 - IFToMM for Sustainable Development Goals: Volume 1 (Mechanisms and Machine Science #179)
by Giuseppe Carbone Giuseppe QuagliaThis book contains the proceedings of the 3rd IFToMM Workshop for Sustainable Development Goals (I4SDG), held in Lamezia Terme, Italy, on June 9–11, 2025. The workshop papers are focused on those aspects of the theory, design, and applications of mechanism and machine science that are fundamental for moving toward sustainable development. The main topics of the workshop are: sustainable energy systems, robotics and mechatronics, biomechanical and medical systems, education, linkages, gears, transmissions and actuators, engines and powertrains, tribology, transportation machinery, service systems for sustainability, humanitarian engineering, and socio-technical systems for sustainable and inclusive development. The contributions, selected through a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight many exciting ideas that will drive new research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers from different backgrounds.
Digital Business Management: Transforming to a Data-Driven Organization Using AI
by Lutz Anderie Swen SchneiderThis book is a concise guide on using generative artificial intelligence to drive digital business management and transformation. It is divided into three parts. The first part, "How to Work with AI and Generate Success in Business," outlines the core concepts of artificial intelligence and prompt engineering and explores how these can be leveraged in a business environment. It places special emphasis on the AI Prompt Schema (AIPS) for structured prompting. The second part, "From Digital Business to a Data-Driven Organization," focuses on the essential knowledge and advanced techniques for successful Digital Business Management. It covers relevant topics, including digital business strategies, digital infrastructure, e-commerce, digital marketing and advertising, content management, the metaverse, and more. The third part, "Industry and Business Case Prompt Engineering," demonstrates how the concepts, knowledge, and techniques can be applied in real-world scenarios. This includes technology companies like Waymo, Tesla, Google/Alphabet, Meta/Facebook, Microsoft/LinkedIn, OpenAI/ChatGPT, and Google/Gemini, as well as e-commerce giants like Amazon, Alibaba, Temu, Shein, and Otto, and entertainment platforms like Netflix, Sony PlayStation, and Spotify. Drawing from many years of experience in business practice and university teaching, the authors include interactive elements such as video tutorials to support learning and the practical application of the concepts outlined. This book will be valuable to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of digital business strategies, particularly practitioners, students, entrepreneurs, and executives.
Das mengentheoretische Unabhängigkeitsphänomen: Eine Welt jenseits der mathematischen Beweiskraft (essentials)
by Deborah KantDieses Buch erklärt kurz und prägnant die Forschung zum faszinierenden mengentheoretischen Unabhängigkeitsphänomen: Zahlreiche mengentheoretische Sätze sind gemäß den Standardaxiomen weder beweisbar noch widerlegbar. Um das zu zeigen, baut man zwei verschiedene mengentheoretische Modelle, meist mit Hilfe der bahnbrechenden Beweistechnik Forcing. Am Beispiel des berühmtesten unabhängigen Satzes – der Kontinuumshypothese – erläutert dieses Buch die Grundstruktur und die wesentlichen Argumente eines Unabhängigkeitsbeweises. Anschließend bietet es Einblicke in Themen, die Mengentheoretiker:innen aktuell beschäftigen und diskutiert verschiedene philosophische Sichtweisen auf das mysteriöse Phänomen.
Quantum Theory and Fuzzy Systems: Quantum and Fuzzy Approaches to Social Network Analysis and Group Decisions (Studies in Computational Intelligence #1186)
by Tofigh Allahviranloo Sovan SamantaThis book dives into the fascinating intersection of quantum theory and fuzzy systems. This work is inspired by quantum theory and its real-world applications. It bridges the gap between abstract theoretical concepts and practical implementations in quantum theory-based group decision-making and graph theory/social networks. Highlights: Core concepts: Begin with uncertainty in quantum theory and fuzzy systems and familiarise yourself with the basics of quantum graphs. Real-World Applications: Explore methods for multi-attribute group decision-making, choosing green building materials, and evaluating wearable health devices, renewable energy options, and cell phones using quantum decision methods. Advanced Exploration: Investigate dynamic centrality measures for brain networks, routing protocols, centrality metrics, link prediction, and applications of quantum graphs. Comprehensive topics: Learn about green supplier selection, investment decisions under uncertainty, sustainable solar energy management, and more. Innovative approaches: Examine topological indices, dominance theory, applications of quantum computing, social fuzzy and quantum networks, scenarios of co-concurrence, and optimization techniques in quantum graphs. This comprehensive guide is an indispensable resource for students, researchers, and professionals who want to explore the applications of quantum theory in network science, quantum computing, and decision-making. Whether readers are experts or novices, this book provides knowledge and practical insights to navigate the complexity of uncertainty in our networked world.
Clean Apex Code: Software Design for Salesforce Developers
by Pablo GonzalezMany developers excel at building solutions in Apex but lack formal training in the core principles of professional software engineering. This book changes that and provides a no-nonsense guide for experienced Salesforce developers ready to master the art of software design. Pragmatic, approachable, and to the point, this book focuses on essential practices like modularity, coupling, cohesion, and testing—not just to write better code, but to improve how teams deliver software. By emphasizing object-oriented programming, dependency injection, and boundaries, it equips you to design systems that are easier to maintain, test, and scale. With fast, reliable tests as a cornerstone, you&’ll learn how great design enables true continuous integration and high-performance software delivery. Through actionable examples and clear explanations, you&’ll learn how to design better systems, reduce complexity, and create codebases that stand the test of time. If you&’re serious about your craft, Clean Apex Code will give you the tools and mindset to think like a professional software engineer and deliver software at a higher level. What You Will Learn Use better names in all software constructs to improve readability and maintainability Apply core software design principles to Apex development Embrace modularity, abstraction, and boundaries to simplify complex systems Leverage dependency injection, and mocking to write fast, modular tests <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lf
Resource Recycling and Management of Food Waste
by Pardeep Singh Ravindra Pratap SinghThis book discusses the sustainable management and conversion of food waste into various resources through biological resource recovery techniques. An overview is given of the present challenges facing food waste management, why food waste reduction in general is a pressing issue, and the current treatment methods for food waste to minimize adverse environmental and human health impacts. The majority of the chapters then discuss sustainable methods for converting food waste into resources such as fermentation, vermicomposting, nutrient recycling, pyrolysis, biochar, and microbial decomposition, with the goal of sustainably producing biogas, fertilizer, animal feed, and other resources. The primary audience of the book is researchers working in the field of waste management. It will also interest NGOs, industrial engineers, and policymakers looking for methods to prevent and manage food waste.
UNESCO Global Geopark Steirische Eisenwurzen (Geoparks)
by Gabriel Kirchmair Alexander Lukeneder Wolfgang Christoph RiedlWo sich Kultur und Natur im Einklang befinden Das Buch zeigt das wunderbare Erdmittelalter in den einstigen Meeresbecken des Natur- und Geoparks Steirische Eisenwurzen. Es führt durch gigantische Klimakatastrophen der Erdgeschichte und präsentiert diesen einzigartigen Park als Wunderkammer der Natur. Die Landschaft birgt Naturwunder wie Schneckenfriedhöfe, Massen an Ammoniten, imposante Bechermuschelriffe, Seelilienwälder und Gesteinsformationen mit Kuhtrittmuscheln. Highlights sind das Rätsel um ein verschwundenes Saurierskelett und die gewaltige Katastrophe an der KT-Grenze vor 66 Millionen Jahren. Der UNESCO Global Geopark Steirische Eisenwurzen liegt in den Nördlichen Kalkalpen, in der Mitte Österreichs. Die geologischen Besonderheiten und Landschaftsformen sind einzigartig in Österreich. Die Region besticht durch ihre Kulturgeschichte, Geodiversität und Biodiversität. Landschaften, über Jahrmillionen geprägt, bilden das Fundament für Abenteuer und Geschichten in der heutigen Zeit. Dieses Buch richtet sich an jeden, der geowissenschaftlich interessiert ist und plant, die einzigartige Geologie der Nördlichen Kalkalpen zu erleben und nimmt Sie mit auf eine erdgeschichtliche Entdeckungsreise im ältesten Geopark Österreichs.
MATLAB for Civil Engineers: From Basics to Advanced Applications
by Dimitrios SargiotisThis book is a comprehensive and rigorous guide to MATLAB for Civil Engineers, bridging the critical gap between theoretical mathematics and practical engineering solutions. With an approachable introduction for students and deep insights for experienced professionals, it caters to a wide range of audiences across civil engineering disciplines—environmental, structural, geotechnical, and transportation engineering. Structured to guide readers progressively, the book begins with foundational MATLAB operations such as syntax and matrix manipulation, then advances into sophisticated engineering applications, including optimization, numerical methods, and data visualization. It covers essential MATLAB functionalities, offering detailed instruction on computation, visualization, and programming, all within the context of solving real-world engineering challenges. What sets this book apart is its hands-on approach. Readers are immersed in practical learning through real-world case studies, examples, and step-by-step exercises designed to reinforce key concepts. The text provides both academic and professional readers with the tools they need to model, analyze, and optimize engineering systems using MATLAB, ensuring they are equipped to handle both routine and complex engineering challenges with confidence. By the end, readers will not only master MATLAB's powerful tools but will also understand how to apply them directly to critical civil engineering problems, positioning themselves to innovate and lead in a field where computational proficiency is increasingly essential.
Intelligent Multilingual Information Processing: First International Conference, IMLIP 2024, Beijing, China, November 16–17, 2024, Proceedings (Communications in Computer and Information Science #2395)
by Jinsong Su Huaping Zhang Jianyun ShangThis CCIS post conference volume constitutes the proceedings of the First International Conference on Intelligent Multilingual Information Processing, IMLIP 2024, in Beijing, China, during November 2024. The 30 full papers presented at IMLIP 2024 were carefully reviewed and selected from 144 submissions. The papers contained in these proceedings address challenging issues in Cross-lingual processing, Large language models, Computational linguistics theory, Resource and corpus construction, Evaluation, Multilingual language understanding, Machine translation, as well as the fundamentals and applications of Multimodal intelligent information processing.
Narrative Social Work Practice: A Resilience-Enhancing Anti-Oppressive Approach
by Nancy Greene Roberta Greene Harriet Cohen Taunya ColeThis book highlights the co-creation of the narrative interview and explains how the narrative method can be used to promote competence and wellness, resist oppression, and ultimately liberate clients from their problems. The person-in-environment concept brings together a wide range of personal and societal micro to macro influences that allow practitioners to engage in an effective helping process with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The textbook has been written at a time of pronounced sociocultural and historical flux, uncertainty, and civil strife that threaten to disrupt the social fabric of the United States. Consequently, the book augments the resilience-enhancing stress model (RESM) approach to the narrative methodology. Each chapter of the text describes a client or constituency undergoing a life transition and the associated risks (stressors) and protective factors surrounding them. Among the topics covered are: Adopting RESM Anti-Oppressive Social Work Strategies: A Micro to Macro Approach Co-creating a Narrative: Forming Personal Identity Macrolevel Narrative Skills and Techniques Proactive Resilience Social Work Practice Time, Place, and Resilience The ultimate purpose of the book is for social workers to develop the ability to enhance clients' and constituencies' optimal resilient social functioning in a just and equitable world that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. Although narrative social work practice is not yet widely applied, the text elucidates how storytelling can break new ground in achieving asset-based, resilience-enhancing social work practice as well as redress social, economic, and political injustice. Narrative Social Work Practice: A Resilience-Enhancing Anti-Oppressive Approach is the third in a series of texts that defines risk and resilience theory and its offshoot—the RESM. The book is intended primarily for generalists and advanced students as well as practitioners in the social work field.
The Development of Non-Financial Reporting: The Role of Sustainability Reporting and Integrated Reporting in Corporate Strategy
by Valentina MinutielloThis Book examines the topic of non-financial reporting, focusing on the two main types of reporting: Sustainability Reporting (SR) and Integrated Reporting (IR). It includes an overview of the research, with the aim of highlighting the diversity of approaches used by researchers as well as the multiplicity of facets that concern non-financial reporting. The chapters address the main macro-themes related to non-financial disclosure and attributable to the following categories: 1. The factors that influence the quality of non-financial reports; 2. The different types of non-financial disclosure (such as, for example, Circular Economy disclosure or Intellectual Capital Disclosure); 3. The motivations behind the adoption of non-financial communication, explained, for example, according to the legitimacy theory as the need for companies to improve or restore their reputation on the market. For each category, the volume provides examples of studies and starts the discussion for further necessary insights.
Advancing the SDGs in Developing and Emerging Economies: Volume I: Sustainable Development Pathways: Innovations, Practices, and Policies (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Pardeep Singh Shikha Daga Kiran Yadav Phuong Mai NguyenThis contributed volume, the first in a set of two, explores the intersection of innovation and sustainability, investigating how transformative practices across various industries and regions are advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights a wide network of solutions and real-world examples that integrate various SDG principles into business and government strategies. The chapters cover diverse topics, including green finance, human resource management, sustainable marketing, and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, showcasing how innovation is driving the global transition towards a more sustainable future. The geographic diversity represented in this section—including contributions from Italy, Brazil, Vietnam, India, and Malaysia—provides a rich, multi-regional perspective on sustainable development. The chapters reflect the dynamic ways in which innovation is being harnessed to address pressing global challenges, with a focus on both local and global contexts. Each chapter offers in-depth case studies and practical examples, illustrating how SDG principles are being integrated into various sectors to foster long-term sustainability. Together, these contributions emphasize the critical role of innovative strategies and practices in achieving the SDGs and building a more resilient, sustainable world for future generations.
Why Dialogue Does Cure: Explaining What Makes Dialogue Unprecedentedly Effective in Difficult Crises
by Jaakko SeikkulaThis book presents the core elements of Open Dialogue – an innovative system of mental health care initially developed in Western Lapland, Finland, and spread into about 40 countries – and explains why dialogic practice can be so effective in the treatment of difficult mental health crises. As Dr. Seikkula explains in this book, Open Dialogue is both a way of organizing psychiatric care and a form of dialogic psychotherapy. The basic idea behind Open Dialogue is that discussions with the client seeking help, their family and other social networks are open to all. Nothing about the client's care is discussed without his or her presence. In addition, the basic idea of Open Dialogue is that clinicians work together as a team, participating in all the therapy meetings where the problems that led to the client's need for help are discussed. Over the last couple of decades, the distance between the humanistic dialogical approach and conventional treatment has only increased. So, the aim of this book is to shorten this distance by describing in a concise way why dialogic practice can be so effective to treat challenging mental health conditions, such as psychosis. Dr. Seikkula explains why in dialogic practice it is possible to achieve a recovery that cannot be imagined in conventional psychiatry. In other words: why dialogue does cure. Why Dialogue Does Cure: Explaining What Makes Dialogue Unprecedentedly Effective in Difficult Crises will be a mandatory reference for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, mental health nurses, social workers and all mental health professionals interested in learning about the nuts and bolts of the Open Dialogue approach and adopting a system of care that does not focus on eliminating the symptoms of the one in need for help, but on meeting the full human.
Proteogenomics: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology #2859)
by Jens Allmer Abhishek KumarThis volume presents an up-to-date overview of the current state-of-the-art protocols, and aims to put proteogenomics into a broader perspective. The chapters in this book detail methods and techniques ranging from mass spectrometry to proteomics and proteogenomics and their biomedical implications and applications. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, the chapters include introductions to their respective topics, application details for both the expert and non-expert reader, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. A highlight for everyone new to the field are the chapters, which put proteogenomics to use to answer biomedical questions. Authoritative and accessible, Proteogenomics: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.
Studying Leadership from a Microgenetic Perspective: Towards a Cultural-Psychological Theory of Leadership (Methodologies in Developmental Sciences)
by Enno Freiherr von FircksThis book presents a new theoretical and methodological framework to study leadership from a cultural-psychological and developmental perspective. This framework includes a new theory – called Small Act Psychology – and a new methodology to analyze leader-follower interactions in irreversible time. This perspective is inspired by current microgenetic (aktualgenese) developmental research within the wider domain of Cultural Psychology. Drawing on Kurt Lewin's field-theory, E.E. Boesch's Symbolic Action Theory and L.S. Vygotsky's semiotic theory, the present work defines leadership socially, and hence from a qualitative perspective, contributing to the development of a cultural-psychological theory of leadership. This new approach seeks to break with the current prevailing paradigm of the leadership research centered round the big-hero myth and interpreting leadership as a personal quality of a given person. It also aims to feel a gap within the general literature about qualitative leadership by proposing an encompassing and wholistic theory and methodology to make sense of leader-follower interactions from a developmental perspective. After presenting this new theory and methodology, the book also presents the results of empirical ethnographic and autoethnographic studies in which the new framework was applied. These studies provide not only empirical proof how leadership can be understood from a field-theoretical perspective but also show how leadership trajectories can change depending on specific interventions, providing evidence to the developmental nature of leadership as a social phenomenon. Studying Leadership from a Microgenetic Perspective: Towards a Cultural-Psychological Theory of Leadership will be of interest to organizational and educational researchers, as well as qualitative psychologists in any domain of psychology striving for a theory that makes sense of leadership dynamically, and developmental psychologists interested in seeing how developmental approaches can be adopted in the study of a wide range of social phenomena.
Chipless RFID Handbook: Fundamentals and Applications
by Etienne Perret Antonio Lázaro Fátima Villa-González Daniel Valderas Simone Genovesi Rahul BhattacharyyaChipless radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has emerged as a cost-effective alternative to conventional automated identification systems like RFID, QR codes, and barcodes. Simultaneously, it enables a wide array of novel applications, including recycling, structural health monitoring, and food safety, among many others. In this handbook, the authors provide an in-depth exploration of the design, manufacturing, and implementation guidelines of chipless RFID systems, including information encoding in chipless tags, the design of radar-based ultra-wideband (UWB) readers and antennas, as well as dedicated signal processing in time- and frequency-domain. This book is not only a practical resource for understanding the core principles and capabilities of chipless RFID, but also a rich source of expert knowledge for those wishing to deepen their understanding or explore particular applications. With real-world examples and detailed guidelines, the Chipless RFID Handbook serves as both a beginner-friendly introduction and an advanced reference on this emerging technology.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Techniques in Engineering and Management
by Komaragiri Srinivasa Raju Dasika Nagesh KumarThe present book covers various facets of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Fuzzy Logic. It includes a brief discussion on performance indicators, Classical and Advanced Machine Learning algorithms, Fuzzy logic-based modelling algorithms, Emerging Research Areas, including Blockchain, recent ML techniques, Evolutionary Algorithms, Large Language Model (LLM)-based Generative AI, the Internet of Things, Big Data, Decision Support Systems, Taguchi design of experiments, data augmentation, and Cross-Validation, and representative case studies. The appendix covers representative AI tools, data sources, books, and journals on AI. The present book can support undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. students in Artificial Intelligence, Generative Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Sciences, Soft Computing, and Fuzzy Logic in Engineering and Management and allied fields. The proposed book has immense value in the interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary context.
Praxisorientiertes Online-Marketing: Konzepte – Instrumente – Checklisten
by Ralf T. Kreutzer Sonja KloseMenschen verbringen inzwischen viel Zeit online. Unternehmen folgen ihnen ins Internet – B-to-B wie B-to-C gleichermaßen. Dieses Buch beantwortet die wichtigsten damit verbundenen Fragen und präsentiert konkrete Lösungskonzepte, Erfolgsstrategien und zahlreiche Checklisten – von der kanalübergreifenden Ausgestaltung der Customer Journey über das Controlling bis zur Berücksichtigung rechtlicher Rahmenbedingungen. Den Unternehmen wird Handwerkszeug präsentiert, mit dem sie den Einsatz von Marketing-Budgets im Online-Bereich effektiv und effizient gestalten können. In der 5. Auflage wurden von Ralf T. Kreutzer gemeinsam mit der neuen Co-Autorin Sonja Klose zentrale Neuerungen in der Online-Welt eingeordnet. Dazu gehören: Integration der aktuellen Entwicklungen im Bereich Künstliche Intelligenz in allen relevanten Bereichen, Überarbeitung und Ergänzung der strategischen Optionen im Online-Marketing, Integration der aktuellen Entwicklungen in der Online-Werbung, Einbindung neuer Konzepte der Suchmaschinenoptimierung, Ausloten weiterer Facetten des E-Mail-Marketings. Die 5. Auflage von Ralf T. Kreutzer und Sonja Klose zeigt eindrucksvoll, wie dynamisch sich das Marketing entwickelt. Neben den neuen rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen wurde auch der Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz im Online-Marketing umfassend integriert. Damit bietet das Buch sowohl für Marketing-Studierende als auch für Praktiker im Unternehmen unverzichtbare und aktuelle Inhalte. Eine klare Empfehlung! Martin Nitsche, Präsident des DDV Deutscher Dialogmarketing Verband e. V.
Naples and the Nation: Image, Media and Culture in the Second Republic (Italian and Italian American Studies)
by Ruth GlynnThis book addresses Naples’ relationship with Italy, since the introduction of direct mayoral election in 1993 and as articulated in cultural production. It deploys theoretical frameworks pertaining to postcolonialism and cultural accentedness to challenge the historical framing of Naples as Italy’s internal ‘other’ and to reposition the city at the very heart of the Italian cultural imaginary. The book showcases the breadth of texts and media addressing the city-nation relationship, analysing less renowned works of journalism, literature, fashion and film alongside celebrated texts such as Roberto Saviano’s Gomorra, Elena Ferrante’s ‘Neapolitan Novels’ and the soap opera Un posto al sole. It highlights how such works contest perceptions of Naples as diverging from a national norm by emphasising the continuities that align the city with the nation. Though developed with the specificities of Naples in mind, the approach is intended as a model for the study of city-nation relations in other cultural contexts.
Declining Hegemonical Foreign Policies of Nigeria: A Historico-Political Analysis
by Sheriff F. FolarinThis book examines Nigeria’s declining political hegemony in Africa between 1985 and 2022, a period characterised by dramatic internal political, social and economic downturns that negatively affected her image and international relations. The study traces the country’s shifting leadership and foreign policies through different eras. Chapters analysing Nigerian foreign policy internal dynamics, ideology, her military and civilian rule, and how these played out in Nigeria's regional influence, paint a holistic politico-historical portrait of a nation in hegemonic decline from 1989 continuing into the present day. Deploying National Role Conception as an analytical tool to contextualise and dissect Nigerian foreign policy, this book deepens our understanding of Nigerian international relations, and challenges preconceptions as to how, and through what lens, foreign policies of declining states can and should be considered. Through its approach, the book offers scholars, students, researchers and policymakers fresh perspectives and tools for analysing foreign policies of states, particularly Nigeria.
Substantive Minority Representation in Parliament: A Comparative Analysis of Sexual Minorities
by Lea Ewe BönischThis book explores why members of parliament (MPs) substantively represent minorities with invisible characteristics—those lacking outwardly recognizable features. This invisibility complicates the representational relationship, as minority members often do not publicly self-identify, leaving MPs unaware of their electorate's composition and citizens uninformed about MPs’ affiliations. Studies on those minorities yield mixed results on the importance of minority membership for MPs’ legislative behaviour. Analysing sexual minorities’ representation, this work attempts to provide a clearer picture. Moreover, it looks at political values and awareness as additional explanatory factors. Both parts, a quantitative analysis of parliamentary questions and a comparative case study of legislative processes regarding same-sex marriage, reveal that minority membership significantly affects individual and macro-level substantive representation, with political values and awareness being at play, too. Overall, this book adds conceptual, theoretical, and empirical insights to research on representation, legislative studies, and comparative politics in general. Thereby, this study provides important clues on how the integration of minority interests in liberal democracies can succeed.
Onlinehandel und Raum: Eine geographische Perspektive auf den Einzelhandel
by Cordula Neiberger Thomas Wieland Sina HardakerIn einer Zeit rasanter technologischer Veränderungen und der sich wandelnden Konsumlandschaften bietet „Onlinehandel und Raum. Eine geographische Perspektive auf den Einzelhandel“ eine zeitgemäße Analyse der Verschmelzung von digitalem Handel und geographischen Räumen. Dieses Buch beleuchtet, wie der Onlinehandel die traditionellen Konzepte von Markt, Ort und Zugänglichkeit neu definiert und reorganisiert und welche räumlichen Auswirkungen diese Entwicklungen auf Städte und ländliche Regionen haben. Die Beiträge in diesem Band reichen von digitalen Plattformen bis hin zu Verbrauchermustern und Stadtplanung und bieten wichtige Einblicke in die geographischen Dimensionen des Onlinehandels. Es adressiert Forschende, Praktiker, Studierende und Entscheidungsträger gleichermaßen. Dabei werden sowohl theoretische als auch praktische Ansätze behandelt, um ein umfassendes Verständnis der Thematik zu gewährleisten. Durch Fallstudien und empirische Untersuchungen werden konkrete Beispiele und innovative Lösungen präsentiert.
Paranormale Behauptungen auf dem Prüfstand: Von Wünschelruten, Elektrosmog und Parapsychologie
by Michael JachanDieses Sachbuch bietet eine tiefgehende und verständliche Einführung in die Welt der Wissenschaft und Pseudowissenschaften. Mit praktischen Anleitungen zur Durchführung von Psi-Tests zu Hause, die nur Papier, Bleistift und eine Münze benötigen, vermittelt es auf einfache Weise die Prinzipien wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen. Lerne, wie Wissenschaftler*innen im Labor arbeiten, und, wie diese Techniken auf alltägliche Behauptungen angewendet werden können. Erfahre etwas über die skurrilen und oft irrtümlichen Überzeugungen, die auch renommierte Wissenschaftler*innen immer wieder hegen. Mit Themen wie Pseudowissenschaft, Doppelblindversuch, Placebo-Effekt, Psi-Test, Elektrosensibilität, Geistheilung und mehr, spannt das Buch einen Bogen von den alten Griechen über Isaac Newton bis ins 21. Jahrhundert. Es vermittelt die Grundlagen der Wissenschaftsgeschichte sowie -theorie und bietet einen praxisnahen Einblick in die Durchführung von Experimenten. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf der Problemlösung: Leser*innen werden befähigt, sich und ihr Umfeld vor Scharlatan*innen zu schützen, indem sie lernen, paranormale Behauptungen kritisch zu hinterfragen. Entdecke, ob hinter Esoterik und Pseudomedizin tatsächlich etwas steckt und wie du mit wissenschaftlichen Methoden zu einer fundierten Beurteilung gelangen kannst.