Modern Dilemmas: Understanding Collective Action in the 21st Century

What does being a dad in the 21st Century really mean? Men today want to play an active role in the upbringing of their children; that means knowing how to cope with them, play with them, control them and love them. Becoming a father however, can be an extremely daunting prospect, after all it is completely uncharted territory. This wonderful book is not only for expectant and new fathers but covers the whole range of issues dads encounter from conception through to teenage traumas. Situations such as step-fatherhood and the changing relationship with partners are also discussed in a sensitive and informative style. The stresses imposed by modern lifestyles on fathers and kids are looked at as well as the problems and benefits encountered by the fact that kids today are often very sophisticated and clued-up. Chapters include: * I'm Going to be a Dad * Bonding for Fathers * Discipline * Learning to Play Again * Teenage Traumas Written in a light-hearted yet informative style, and including numerous interviews with fathers themselves, this book reflects the latest thinking and theories on how to be a good father.

The sensational human story of the hunt for oil, and the politics, power and personalities involved.Over the last 20 years, oil prices have soared from $7 a barrel to $147 and down to $37. Amid economic boom and bust, speculators, traders, politicians and monarchs have plotted to earn fortunes from oil, and prayed for salvation from unpredictable natural and man-made disasters. Behind the headlines are the crushing rivalries between men and women exploring for oil five miles beneath the sea, battling for control of the world's biggest corporations and gambling billions of dollars twenty-four hours every day on oil prices. Success or failure for all those extraordinary personalities depends on squeezing their rivals and squeezing the crude out of the rocks. Overweening vanity and greed absorb those titans whose ambitions are forging the world's quest for oil.Exploiting unprecedented close access to the lives of irrepressible traders in New York, oil-oligarchs in Moscow, corporate chieftains in Dallas and London, and wily politicians floating in jets across the globe, Tom Bower presents the untold story of the most important quandary of our times: why, if there is plentiful oil in the earth, does mankind face a dire shortage threatening our lives? Self-interest is propelling the squeeze and there seems to be no salvation.

Harness the power of your money with a 21st century mindset The speed at which the world is evolving is compounding exponentially each day, leaving individual investors wondering how to appropriately plan for their financial future. The financial norms that helped prior generations retire with grace are quickly evaporating or have already been replaced with new difficult realities. Money Mindset is an expert-led guide to growing your wealth, protecting your wealth, and transferring your wealth to future generations. Written by a third generation financial planner who is also an adjunct finance professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, Money Mindset helps readers understand important financial concepts and theories of the 21st century. The science and psychology of money The 'WHY' of personal financial management The rule of 72, asset allocation, dollar cost averaging, and the erosive effects of inflation How to manage a diverse investment portfolio to minimize macroeconomic vulnerability How to create a legacy through proper estate planning Money Mindset explores the idea that money can be looked at as an energy source. In order to truly harness its powers, one must acquire and maintain a certain money mindset. Everyone wants financial independence—having enough money to consistently fuel their everyday life. Money Mindset clears a path through the increasingly convoluted and ever-changing world to show how to finally become financially secure.

Leading the Virtual Workforce How Great Leaders Transform Organizations in the 21st Century Praise for Leading the Virtual Workforce «Strong leadership in the best of times is difficult to achieve, but in today's rapidly changing business environment, leaders are tested in many new ways. Once again, Lojeski has a fresh take on what it takes to lead today's widely dispersed workforce.» —Ellen Pearlman, former editor-in-chief, CIO Insight magazine «Karen Lojeski has distilled the essence of the leader's role in 'managing' virtual teams. Her very relevant case stories illustrate that to be successful, the authentic leader must be able to create context and a collaborative lexicon for virtual knowledge sharing and must work diligently to build the social capital that is so vital to the success of virtual work groups. Karen's key contribution in this and her previous book, Uniting the Virtual Workforce, is the 'discovery' and clear articulation of her theory of the Virtual Distance Index, which leaders can use to measure and manage the process of virtual teamwork.» —Dave Davison, Chairman, Virtual Visuals Inc. «I agree entirely with Karen when she says that today, more than ever, effective leaders are desperately needed. She skillfully defines the dislocation and demarcation of leaders from followers through the 'Virtual Distance,' and yet paradoxically calls leaders to 'stoke the flames of innovation and cooperation in a complex, interwoven world.' This gives rise to her exploration of the Virtual Distance Leader. As Karen points out, the twenty-first-century leader must, amidst the conditions of pressure, change, and transformation, bring human endeavor and action to value and meaning for others.» —Adrian Machon, Director, Executive & Leadership Development, GlaxoSmithKline

The new building blocks for learning in a complex world This important resource introduces a framework for 21st Century learning that maps out the skills needed to survive and thrive in a complex and connected world. 21st Century content includes the basic core subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic-but also emphasizes global awareness, financial/economic literacy, and health issues. The skills fall into three categories: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills. This book is filled with vignettes, international examples, and classroom samples that help illustrate the framework and provide an exciting view of twenty-first century teaching and learning. Explores the three main categories of 21st Century Skills: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills Addresses timely issues such as the rapid advance of technology and increased economic competition Based on a framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) The book contains a DVD with video clips of classroom teaching. For more information on the book visit www.21stcenturyskillsbook.com.

Nowadays, a considerable amount of evaluation work is implemented internally—both nationally and across the world. As such, it is exceedingly important for evaluators and organizations to be aware of the issues in designing and implementing internal evaluation to realize its potential for enhancing organizational growth, competitive advantage, and social impact. This issue includes perspectives on internal evaluation from experienced evaluation practitioners from different fields and organizations who share theoretical and practical examples and case studies in promoting and conducting internal evaluation. The chapters: Highlight societal and organizational changes that have shaped the current trends in internal evaluation Discuss foundational issues in internal evaluation Provide rich illustrations of internal evaluation practice in different settings with diverse foci (customer-driven vision and a results-based orientation for evaluation, accountability and development, and building evaluation capacity). This is the 132nd volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Evaluation, an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

There is a widespread discontent with the quality of education and levels of college student achievement, particularly for undergraduates preparing for the professions. This report examines the educational challenges in preparing professionals, reviews the specific types of curriculum innovations that faculty and administrators have created or significantly revised to strengthen college graduates' abilities, and focuses on the societal changes and expectations produced by the acceleration in technology.

There is a widespread discontent with the quality of education and levels of college student achievement, particularly for undergraduates preparing for the professions. This report examines the educational challenges in preparing professionals, reviews the specific types of curriculum innovations that faculty and administrators have created or significantly revised to strengthen college graduates' abilities, and focuses on the societal changes and expectations produced by the acceleration in technology.

"History shows that people who save and invest grow and prosper, and the others deteriorate and collapse. As Financial Reckoning Day demonstrates, artificially low interest rates and rapid credit creation policies set by Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve caused the bubble in U.S. stocks of the late '90s. . . . Now, policies being pursued at the Fed are making the bubble worse. They are changing it from a stock market bubble to a consumption and housing bubble. And when those bubbles burst, it's going to be worse than the stock market bubble . . . No one, of course, wants to hear it. They want the quick fix. They want to buy the stock and watch it go up twenty-five percent because that's what happened last year, and that's what they say on TV." —Jim Rogers, author of the bestseller Adventure Capitalist from the Foreword to Financial Reckoning Day Advanced praise from bestselling authors «An investment book that will not only enlarge your investment horizon, but also make you laugh and thoroughly entertain you for a few hours.» —Dr. Marc Faber, author of the bestseller Tomorrow's Gold «Financial Reckoning Day is . . . in the category of scintillating sex or good vision, something to be savored and enjoyed-before it is too late.» —James Dale Davidson, author of the bestseller The Great Reckoning and The Sovereign Individual «A powerful and insightful vision . . . each paragraph stimulates a new rush of thoughts that fills in gaping holes in the investor's understanding of what has happened to their dreams . . . while prepping them to confront any new confusion that may arrive.» —Martin D. Weiss, author of the bestseller Crash Profits

China Versus the West is an innovative book. The author, a leading specialist on the international and Asian economy and business, presents the most comprehensive picture of the changing power balance between the emerging superpower China and the «old» developed economies of the West: mainly the US, Europe and Japan. The reader can clearly see in what areas and to what extent China has become the world leader, in what areas it is catching up and in what areas the West retains its superiority and has a chance to strengthen it further. At the same time, I. Tselichtchev unveils a breath-taking story of the global economy and business in the brave new world which is non-"West-led" and where major growth dynamics are coming from large emerging economies. A radically changing economic environment requires new government policies and business strategies. The book contains many valuable suggestions and ideas. Using his own analytical framework, the author presents a set of options and alternatives for Western businesses in the wake of China's production and export offensive. The book provides a uniquely sharp and thought-provoking analysis of the factors behind the global crisis of 2008-2009, largely different from what we see in other publications, and examines its implications for the global power balance. I. Tselichtchev vividly shows that it was not global, but Western crisis of a structural character which drastically changed the China-West power balance in the former's favor. He provides strong arguments showing that today's China is structurally and macro-economically stronger than most countries of the West. This leads him to rethinking the very essence of the Chinese model of capitalism and to its new definition. He expresses unconventional, sometimes controversial, but well-founded views about China's problems and weaknesses and the prospects for its political evolution. The book ends with invaluable insights into China's unique role in the world economic history, the essence of the non-"West-led" multipolar world and the positions of its major players. Arguing that from now on no single country will be ever able to «rule the world», it shows new opportunities dynamic China is opening for the West. Thoroughly analyzing and discussing a wide range of the key, often complicated issues which are now in the focus of the world's attention, the book remains very reader-friendly. It is written in the form of an unconstrained dialogue with the reader, containing a lot of the author's on-the-spot impressions, interesting facts, remarks and quotations. China Versus the West is a must reading for everyone who wants to know more about the global developments, China and the West, and also, perhaps, to get valuable inputs and hints to find his or her own place in today's new world. It is highly recommended for policy-makers, business people, academics, analysts and journalists. It is a valuable source for professors and students of the universities and business schools.