lap lambert academic publishing jan 2010 (Más de 1.000 resultados)

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Biophysical analysis of agricultural production in Ghana: History and potential for food self- sufficiency examines the capabilities of the extensive farming system in contributing to the improvement in meeting the food and nutritional needs in Ghana.The potential of this extensive system for future food self-sufficiency in Ghana is also examined. The author used historical empirical data to analyze the time trends of the major food crops produced and the nutritional requirements of the country from 1962 to 2004. He then made projections into the future (2031). The extent of agricultural intensification in Ghana is also determined to access its viability as an alternative system of food production.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 92 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -An exploration into the effects of internal branding on employee understanding and commitment to the charity brand. The aim is to identify a link between internal brand identity and brand image and to recognise the influence that employees have in communicating brand image to customers. To carry out the research, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. A questionnaire survey was distributed to employees of not-for-profit organisations in order to gain an insight into their level of understanding and commitment. Interviews were held to establish the extent of internal branding practices undertaken by the charitable organisations. The findings indicate that internal branding strategies are practiced and have an effect on employee loyalty and commitment despite marketing as a function sometimes taking a back seat.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is using less energy to provide the same level of energy service. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature. Another example would be installing fluorescent lights and/or skylights instead of incandescent lights to attain the same level of illumination. A 13 watt fluorescent light bulb outputs the same amount of visible light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb, so you are getting more light for less energy. Efficient energy use is achieved primarily by means of a more efficient technology or process rather than by changes in individual behavior. Energy efficient buildings, industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world''s energy needs in 2050 by one third, and help controlling global emissions of greenhouse gases, according to the International Energy Agency. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are said to be the twin pillars of sustainable energy policy.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Several of the classical sequences in enumerative combinatorics have q-generalizations arising as generating functions for statistics defined on finite discrete structures. When q = 1, these generating functions reduce to the original sequences. When q = -1, on the other hand, one gets the difference in cardinalities between those members of a set having an even value for some statistic (on the set) with those members having an odd value. The current text provides a systematic study of the case q = -1, giving both algebraic and combinatorial treatments. For the latter, appropriate sign-reversing involutions are defined on the associated class of discrete structures. Among the structures studied are permutations, binary sequences, Laguerre configurations, derangements, Catalan words, and finite set partitions. As a consequence of our results, we obtain bijective proofs of congruences involving Stirling, Bell, and Catalan numbers. This text studies an interesting problem in enumerative combinatorics and is suitable for an audience ranging from motivated undergraduates to researchers in the field.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 88 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -More than thirty years after the debut of the famous Black-Scholes formula, and after MIT professor Stewart C. Myers conceived this term, real options continue to show a big gap between theory and practice. Recent evidences suggest that this valuation technique may be losing traction: the rate of adoption in corporations has been slow due to its complexity and lack of understanding of the possible applications of an intuitive concept that heavily relies on complex financial theory analysis. The computational complexity and the academic focus on making models more accurate rather than simple makes real options analysis a black box. The main goal of this book is to investigate the major challenging factors hindering a wide diffusion of such valuation tool and to present alternative approaches to solve these obstacles. Putting together an extensive collection of dominant literatures, the book will try to define what are the recent evolutions and outcomes on this subject, pointing out some general findings and developing a set of advices finalized to bridge the gap between theory and practice.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 68 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This book discusses the relationship between corruption and economic development.Corruption here is defined as the abuse of power by a public official for private benefit. This is an empirical research using well known econometric methods along with recent data related to corruption and economic development. The results agree with the ones from older similar researches while at the same time the author tries to incorporate some new variables that capture aspects of economic development never examined before.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an event ¿related evoked potential (EP) that reportedly reflects the brain''s detection of differences in acoustic stimuli. It''s clinical use is not routine and the EP itself has questionable reliability. This study measured MMN in response to long-duration tonal stimuli in typically developing children ages 7-13. MMN was present in 7 of the 10 children evaluated. Although MMN may have promise as a tool to assist in the diagnosis and monitoring of individuals with auditory processing abnormalities, as well as those with hearing loss and/or language impairments, the use of MMN as a clinical measurement tool at this time is questionable. These results should assist students and professionals understand more clearly the data collection challenges as well as the reasons MMN is not routinely used clinically today. More studies are needed to establish the reliability of MMN in normal individuals.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 64 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -In 2008 the older portion of an 86 million 'baby boomer' population in the U.S. entered retirement age and became eligible for social security. Because of the recent economic downturn, this population is poised for retirement on what are now diminished savings. For this and other reasons, an ever- increasing proportion is looking abroad for lower costs of real estate. Many countries could have been examined as possible destinations; however the country of Panama was selected for its unique real estate investment opportunities. The research methodology analyzing real estate in Panama for this thesis is primarily qualitative. The research material is derived from industry-related books, journal articles, and data gathered from interviews with industry participants. The findings indicate that, even with the overall global economic downturn, Panama is still an attractive location and provides many benefits to those seeking to maximize their investments in real estate.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Many have questioned the role of credit rating agencies, (CRAs), in the 2007-2008 great financial crisis. Economists and financial observers have criticized CRAs for understating the risk in the sub-prime mortgage markets which they helped structure, such as sub-prime mortgage-based CDSs and CDOs. CRAs are now under investigation for giving investment-grade rating, even AAA grade to sub-prime securities and investment vehicles, at the origin of the housing bubble that brought the whole financial system in 2008 to a near collapse, had governments and central banks not swiftly intervened to stop it from crashing. This book reviews the sovereign credit rating industry, analyses its impact on developing countries and assesses some of the CRAs'' shortcomings in the context of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the 1997-1998 Asian crisis and concerns that have been raised in regulatory agencies in the US and in Europe.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 72 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Political ecology is a holistic mode of inquiry that applies political analysis to issues of resource use, specifically by actors and organizations interacting in defined social and cultural contexts. This book uses a political ecology perspective to reveal how the Atna'', an Athabaskan people of south-central Alaska who have no treaty rights to resources, use their knowledge of the environment to articulate a specific claim to Copper River salmon. Included here is a discussion of political ecology as it is used in three case studies of Atna'' public activism, as well as in three other case studies from fisheries in North America. The outcome of the book investigates whether there is room for a co-management regime to give the Atna'', as well as other user groups, an equal voice in decisions regarding resource management of the Copper River fishery.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Since its independence, Indonesia has limited the forms of religious expression to six recognized religions based on the Pancasila. In spite of the policy, the existence of other religions are still practiced. One of these¿unrecognized religions¿ is called the kebatinan. Shortly after independence the country has experienced the rise of the kebatinan movement, a phenomenon of re-emergence of local beliefs. This was a new religio-political phenomenon for the newborn country of Indonesia. The purpose of this book is to describe the religious movement of one of the kebatinan groups among the people in West Java, called the PACKU (Paguyuban Adat Cara Karuhun Urang) as the continuation of ADS (Agama Djawa Sunda) belief group. The values of the ADS continue to exist within a complexity of Indonesian National Religions and local animistic beliefs. Special attention will be given to how ADS ideology has been and continues to be religiously negotiated within organizations like the PACKU. This book explores the ways in which religion plays a significant role in resisting the loss of self and communal identity, by focusing on the religious leaders and their negotiations of the ADS ideology.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -The European Union describes itself as a ''world player'' in international relations and is considered the ''good guy'' in the international arena. This book inspects if these labels rightly applies to its economic policies. This project investigates gaps and discrepancies thoroughly and as a result creates awareness of the issue at hand. The EU''s trading policy is closely linked to its development policy. Altough the EU can be commended for trading with developing countries and providing them with opportunities for development, it remains unclear if the EU has truly provided them with opportunities to benefit from or if they are merely taking advantage of their weak economic status.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This study looks at the participatory budgeting (PB) implemented in the Brazilian city of São Paulo between 2001 and 2004 to analyze whether it increased marginalized groups'' chances of influencing public policies in the city. São Paulo is one of the largest and most unequal urban centers in the world. Therefore, the city is an important test case for studying the potential of the PB model because it constitutes an amplified version of the challenges associated with democratic consolidation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The author uses Leonardo Avritzer''s concept of 'participatory publics' to analyze the PB vis-à-vis traditional mechanisms of democratic representation. Results from fieldwork conducted during the summer of 2004 confirm the usefulness of Avritzer''s framework. The PB opened up the political opportunity structure in the city, facilitated the incorporation of alternative practices first introduced by social movements, and combined both deliberative and decision-making features. Moreover, according to several interviewees, the PB 'tensioned' or helped to expand existing democratic structures by including more radical forms of participation.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 80 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This book is based on a study to determine and identify audience''s perceptions and awareness on gender role stereotypes in advertisements. The degree and frequency levels of gender role stereotypes in Malaysian television''s advertisements were tabulated. Gender role stereotypes have not been fully and extensively explored in Malaysia. This is dissipative as advertising is a very powerful genre in persuading and manipulating the audience.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 120 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This study examines different levels of security community development between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Following security community development model by Emanuel Adler and Michael Barnett, it examines core states, shared ideology, economic transactions and international institutions among EU and ASEAN members that are all conducive to security community development in order to investigate what causes the difference in the development. It also examines mutual trust and collective identity which are the necessary conditions of a security community. This research not only identifies causes for the difference in security community developments, but also finds that there is a correlation between the factors and conditions of a security community, thus, validating Adler and Barnett model.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 88 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Defining Women in American and Indian Prime Time is an in depth analysis of viewer''s perceptions of the roles played by women on prime time, in two different cultural settings. The research is directed towards respondents with two different media and cultural experiences. The first are interviewees who are simply familiar with American prime time and the second are those who are acquainted with both the American and the Indian content. The research questions address specifics of representations associated with the American and the Indian media: the roles women play on prime time, whether the viewers can associate with the characters, possible difference between prime time representations and reality as well as possible overlaps between ways of reading media''s constructions of femininity in these culturally different stage sets. Analysis of the findings in the study acknowledge more of analogous ways of deriving meaning out of gender reproductions on prime time in comparison to distinct perceptions of reading gender images in the American and Indian media.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 96 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -A high growth rate compounded with a high degree of protection of environment is the only option for India. Delineating on such a profile calls for a tailored solution. This should adjust the energy - environment matrix in the back drop of developmental priorities of India. Search for appropriate green technologies to contain environmental degradation, a high penetration of renewables in the energy mix of the country and moderating agriculture sector to curtail green house gas emission are seen as key remedies.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Recently, the role of governance in the explanation of diverse outcomes of transition process is increasing. The mainstream economic literature studying effects of governance in transition countries has mostly focused on economic performances. A human development approach, considering not only income growth but also non-income dimensions of human development such as health and educational attainment has been largely neglected in an empirical literature of transition countries. It examines a relationship between human development and governance in transition countries using mixed model approach. The concept of humane governance guides the data collection and index construction efforts.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -The book is devoted to analysis of the regional (Saint-Petersburg) innovation infrastructure. The review of Saint-Petersburg legislation on development of innovational processes as well as existing innovational institutions in Saint-Petersburg is represented. The book contains both theoretical and applied issues on the subject. The theoretical part outlines concepts related to the innovation process. The Russian concept of innovation differs from the European one leading to dissimilar approaches in innovation system development. The applied part of the book describes the components of the St.Petersburg innovation infrastructure and projects related to the subject and managed by the Baltic Institute of Finland. The data has been gathered from the interviews, publications and internet. This work is intended for everyone who is interested in development of innovations in Russia, particularly in Saint-Petersburg city.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 80 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -During the past six years the sun-sea-sand tourism in Bulgaria has experienced an average annual growth of 15.3%, thus generating some 75% of the national tourism receipts. Both an outcome and a propelling factor, the available accommodation in the major seaside resorts has boosted by 20-25% on a year-to-year basis, thus surpassing the demand level increase by some 10-12%. In the meantime, symptoms for loss of overall destination competitiveness as regards current tendencies in the global tourism industry have been identified, thus revealing critical deficiencies in the existing planning and management models of the major Bulgarian coastal destinations. The study reflects the multidimensional analysis approach endorsed by authors such as Moutinho (2000), Toledo et el. (2000) and Crouch and Ritchie (2003), so providing a profound look into the multiple factors determining the destination''s degree of competitiveness. As a consequence, the applied methodology allowed for an exhaustive analysis of the dynamics of the destination''s current development, amplifying in this way the span of the study beyond tourism-specific aspects.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 96 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Since winning medals at Olympic Games has become an objective that all countries want to achieve, a lot of empirical research has been devoted to the factors that result in some countries to perform better than others. Against this background, this Master Dissertation gives a quantitative lisrel-analysis of the following topics: 1. To what extent are welfare characteristics predictors of Olympic medal success 2. If so, what measure of welfare is most relevant in this respect 3. How do the above mechanisms change over time In particular, how can the Los Angeles Summer Games (1984) be compared with the Athens Summer Games (2004) in this respect Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 88 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This book presents the results of a study on perceived occupational stress amongst female nurses working in a general hospital in the Eastern Cape Province. The central aim of the study was to understand if and how nurses perceived and experienced work related stress in the hospital. A sample of convenience was used consisting of six voluntary registered female nurses with ages ranging from 29 and 50 years. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with the six participants, with data analyzed for thematic content. Main themes and sub-themes within the main themes were identified and discussed. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations for future research are offered.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This Project will provide us with a picture of Special educational needs in the context of Children with muscular dystrophy in Mauritius. The main aims and objectives of the study are to analyze whether children suffering from Muscular dystrophy benefit from special education in Mauritius and what sort of Government intervention exists to address the problem. The study also provides innovative information to the public and creates awareness on the situation of the educational system concerning children with Muscular dystrophy. The methodology was mainly covered by qualitative research methods. For instance, unstructured interviews were carried out to gather first-hand information on special educational issues of Children with Muscular dystrophy. The main result of this project is that access to special or even mainstream education is a major challenge for Muscular dystrophy sufferers.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 88 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -People working in the informal sector, such as street vendors, are perceived as passive players rather than active individual entrepreneurs. In smaller developing countries like Nepal the informal sector forms a major aspect of the overall economy, providing employment to a large percentage of the urban population and providing cheaper goods and services to people of all income levels. This research looks into the economic, social and political situation of street vendors in the cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur and examine ways to organize them.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Supply chain coordination and shipping conditions have a substantial impact on food quality of produce supply chains, especially when supply chains cross international borders. After harvesting, shipping conditions are the primary determinants of food quality for highly perishable commodities such as tomatoes. Based on food marketing research, food quality for highly perishable commodities is becoming one of the most important issues in today''s food markets. With the help of a discrete-event simulation software (SIMUL8®), a simulated supply chain distribution model, including tomato harvesting, packing, shipping and distributing, was developed to analyze overall supply chain performance, and Simetar was used to estimate associated costs and benefits for each participant in this supply chain. Finally, benefit-cost ratios were simulated to assess the adoption of temperature controlling technology on tomato supply chain marketing implications. The results show that tomato keeping quality can be improved from 2.7 days to 5.4 days on average when temperature range within marine containers is controlled better.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -Australia has been very successful in bringing large numbers of people from a broad range of countries, races and religious beliefs to its shores and in making them feel ¿at home¿. Recent events have brought into question whether the philosophy of multiculturalism is as firmly embedded in the national identity as many had thought. This work attempts to assess what this means for the successful incorporation of multiculturalism into Australiäs national identity and what consequences this might have for Australia as it faces the new century in a globalised world.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 92 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -In this study, investor decision theory was used as the basis for a survey that demonstrates the barriers faced by those promoting microfinance institutions and public capital markets as the mechanism for implementing grassroots development theory. Grassroots development theory promotes entrepreneurship across the base of a developing country''s population by encouraging capital infusion at the local instead of national or industry level and promoting local ownership and local capital building. A common method for implementing grassroots theory in developing countries is through microfinance institutions. Investor decision theory, supported by the data from this study, raises concerns over the validity of grassroots development theory as a valid tool for economic growth in developing countries. While individual MFIs have encouraging performance, the aggregate of MFI loans globally are too small to measurably impact developing nations'' economies. Thus, for grassroots development theories to be implemented successfully, there needs to be an expansion of MFIs'' capitalization structure. Publicly traded mutual funds offer a method to access this capital.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -The importance of hospitality spaces within urban regeneration processes has remained largely overlooked in current urban discourse; and this is in spite of the dramatic physical transformation of cities over the past fifteen years - alongside recorded increases of hospitality spaces which are central. This study examines key themes underpinning UK urban regeneration policies over the past decade ¿ urbanisation, gentrification, post-modern consumption, place promotion, and sanitisation; and considers practical implications derived from the presence and provision of hospitality spaces alongside these themes - in terms of their capacity to contribute to the establishment of urban spatial quarters of differentiation and of standardisation specifically. Two urban quarters of Manchester [UK] provide the cases for this ethnographic research study, whose presence of contrasting typologies of hospitality spaces could be said to have respectively exemplified these outcomes. The study concludes that hospitality spaces have played crucially important roles within processes of urban regeneration, and are increasingly central to the creation of urban quartersBooks on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -This book is a discourse on the capital market and its interactive framework of acquisition and issuance of financial assets for investors and issuers of capital assets. The monograph consists of four essays in financial economics that offer a spectrum of revisions to the existing literature. Chapter 1 is a delineation of the capital markets over the past half century and major developments on these markets on issues that pertain to the investor''s opportunity set and the corporation''s capital-raising availability set. Chapter 2 is a rework on the Markowitz-Roy-Tobin structure of the efficient frontier and of the Separation Theorem. Taking the paradigm from a 2-asset to an n-asset portfolio, revision-theoretic exercises are performed under a comparative-statics framework, and the effect of a perceived risk/return change is explored. Chapter 3 questions the legitimacy of existing capital structure literature, points out the obfuscation of Modigliani-Miller''s Value Invariance Proposition, and corrects the major result. Chapter 4 is a re-examination of MM''s analysis with taxes. It is demonstrated that the literature needs correcting, and modifications on the classic results are shown.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware -The 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act introduced fixed payments which unlike previous payment programs are designed to be ¿decoupled¿ from production decisions. In general, economists believe that fixed payments, which account for one-third of total United States government payments to farmers, are an efficient way to transfer income to targeted recipients. Further, fixed payments are believed to generate only minimal distortions in resource allocation decisions. This study, based on data from a national survey of farm households, examines how farm households allocate the proceeds from a fixed payment. In addition, it examines what factors best explain how farm households indicate that they would allocate the hypothetical payment. Results indicate that the extent to which fixed payments can be considered ¿decoupled¿ depends on a variety of factors that describe the farm business, operator, and household.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 100 pp. Englisch.