A Theory of Marketing : Outline of a Social Systems Perspective
Marketing has become one of the most influential forces in contemporary market economies. Yet despite ubiquitous empirical presence, uncountable textbook definitions, and sixty years of scholarly work, a coherent sociological understanding of this powerful concept is still amiss. Drawing on Luhmannian social systems theory, historical analysis, and four qualitative studies, the author theorizes on the marketing function as a self-contained system of communications. It is argued that marketing systems prosper within a host organization if and as long as they successfully influence observers' preferences towards particular brands. On these conceptual foundations a comprehensive brand- and communication-centered theory is developed that fulfills Alderson', Cox' and Bartels' foundational requirements for a general theory of marketing in an unprecedented way.
A Structural Framework for the Pricing of Corporate Securities : Economic and Empirical Issues
This book is the first comprehensive treatment, of structural credit risk models for the simultaneous and consistent pricing of corporate securities. Through the development of a flexible economic framework based on the firm's EBIT, the reader is taken from the economic principles of firm value models to the empirical implementation. Analytical solutions are provided, if EBIT follows an arithmetic or geometric Brownian motion.
A Risk-Benefit Perspective on Early Customer Integration
Customer integration in the early innovation phase has been considered the method of choice in theory and practice. Growing experience with the concept has shown unexpected side effects that may even outweigh its recognized advantages. Therefore, management needs to be able to assess in advance whether the involvement of customers will add overall value to each particular innovation project. To support but not to replace the final managerial decision, a mathematical formula is developed. It can be applied to all kinds of process structures, takes into account the risks and benefits contingent on a company's situation as well as risk-reducing and benefit-increasing measures and translates them into numerical values. The resulting figure indicates the prospective value of customer integration in a specific project.
A Contingency-Based View of Chief Executive Officers' Early Warning Behaviour : An Empirical Analysis of German Medium-Sized Companies
Organizations need to identify risks and chances of environmental changes in order to adapt to or possibly even to influence them. Early warning which comprises scanning and interpretation plays an important role in this process. Whereas the traditional contingency approach considers early warning as a part of the organizational structure, the extended contingency theory assumes the additional influence of an individual’s personality on early warning. Andreas Kirschkamp empirically analyses the early warning behavior of Chief Executive Officers in German medium-sized companies. First, he presents the design variables of early warning, then the influencing contingency variables. On the basis of the scholarly research on psychological and contingency theory, the author deduces hypotheses and tests them. The results show that early warning behavior is not only influenced by traditional contingency variables but also by personal attitudes.
50 Years of EU Economic Dynamics : Integration, Financial Markets and Innovations
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the European Union experts present their analyses of historical developments and new economic challenges for the EU. After a reflection on historical dynamics, the contributors point out the dramatic economic shifts between Europe, Asia and the US. Representatives from major central banks (including the ECB), other leading banks, and academia analyze the dynamics of the Eurozone and financial market integration in the context of globalization and economic growth. Furthermore, the authors discuss the challenges of information and communication technologies by means of various country analyses. Moreover, the Schumpeterian prospects for Europe and the Lisbon Agenda, the long-term challenges of EU pension reforms, emission trading systems in the EU, and options for a new EU constitution are highlighted. At the bottom line of this EU analysis are major implications for investors, managers, policy-makers and the public at large in both the EU and the global economy.
Cartooning made easy : Circle, triangle, square : Draw unique cartoon characters using simple geometric shapes
offers easy-to-follow instruction for using basic shapes to draw cute cartoon characters. Her approach is simple: All you need are basic drawing tools and shapes to cartoon! The book features dozens of drawing projects and step-by-step instruction perfect for beginning and aspiring artists, cartoonists, illustrators, pen and graphite artists, and many others. Each project combines simple geometric shapes—including circles and triangles and squares but also ovals, rectangles, and more—to draw adorable, cartoon-inspired artwork, including cartoon: Heads / Faces / Bodies / Unique characters / Animals, such as elephants / And more!
Building Services Design for Energy Efficient Buildings
The following issues are addressed: background issues on climate change, whole-life performance and design collaboration generic strategies for energy efficient, low-carbon design health and wellbeing and post occupancy evaluation building ventilation air conditioning and HVAC system selection thermal energy generation and distribution systems low-energy approaches for thermal control electrical systems, data collection, controls and monitoring building thermal load assessment building electric power load assessment space planning and design integration with other disciplines.
Building from tradition : Local materials and methods in contemporary architecture
Examines the recent resurgence of interest in the handmade building and the use of local and renewable materials in contemporary construction. In the past, raw materials were shaped to provide shelter and to accommodate the cultural, social, and economic needs of individuals and communities. This is still true today as architects, engineers, and builders turn once again to local resources and methods, not simply for constructing buildings, but also as a strategy for supporting social engagement, sustainable development, and cultural continuity. Building from Tradition features global case studies that allow readers to understand how building practices-developed and refined by previous generations-continue to be adapted to suit a broad range of cultural and environmental contexts. The book provides: a survey of historical and technical information about geologic and plant-based materials such as: stone, earth, reed and grass, wood, and bamboo; 24 detailed case studies examining the disadvantages and benefits to using traditional materials and methods and how they are currently being integrated with contemporary construction practices
Architectural styles : A visual guide
It begins with the earliest styles of the ancient civilizations – Egypt, Greece and Rome – before travelling through Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque and into the modern world via the panoply of 19th century revivalist styles. Also covered is the traditional architecture of China, India, Japan and Pre-Columbian America. A final section gathers together key architectural elements from different periods – columns, towers, doorways, windows.
Manual of Multistorey Timber Construction
Wood is suitable for use in multi-storey building construction with barely any restrictions. This is new and requires creative rethinking of tried and tested practices in wood construction: classical categories can be replaced by mixed construction methods as necessary within a project, which yields completely new possibilities in designing wood structures. The Manual provides architects, engineers and wood specialists with the essential expertise on the new systematic and construction methodology, from the design to prefabrication to the implementation on site.
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, founded in 1987 in Toronto, is one of most innovative architectural offi ces in North America today. They have made a name for themselves both for their integrated design process embodying collaboration with experts, clients and future users as well as the diversity of their aesthetically refined and finely detailed designs. The work ranges from cultural institutions such as the Toronto International Film Festival and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis to ecologically innovative concepts such as Manitoba Hydro Place in Winnipeg, developed with leading climate engineers Transsolar of Stuttgart.
Cartooning, caricature and animation made easy : Dover art instruction
Combines the author's The Secrets of Cartooning and The Art of Cartooning. Appropriate for artists of varied skill levels, this treasury of illustrated step-by-step instructions is rich in the period style of the 1920s and '30s. It features practical advice on depicting faces, motion, anatomy, caricatures, animated features, and political cartoons.
By its cover : Modern American book cover design
i JUDGING THE BOOK Books are a thing of beauty,but so are horse-drawn carriages. 1 DICK BRASS Vice President of Technology Development, Microsoft Is the printed book destined for eventual extinction? Is the thoughtfully designed book cover approaching obsolescence? The availability of ebooks has indeed increased, and print-on-demand technology will likely change the way books are marketed and purchased. But there is something special about the mass-produced book as an object– it is more than just a presentation of the ideas of an author.
Building systems in interior design
takes an entirely new approach to teaching this essential topic for Architects, Designers and Building Engineers. Written to prepare students for the real world and packed with practical examples, the book will foster an understanding of specific issues that are critical to those features of technical systems that most directly affect design. The book stresses the ever-present nature of these systems: they are everywhere, all the time. Taking a design oriented view, it outlines what can and cannot be done, and provides the student with the know-how and confidence to defend and promote their design intent when working with other industry professionals.
Building construction illustrated
A leading visual guide to the principles of building construction. Filled with rich illustrations and in-depth content by renowned author Francis D.K. Ching, it offers students and practicing professionals the information needed to understand concepts in residential and commercial construction, architecture, and structural engineering. Includes all new sections on resilient design; diagrids; modular foundation systems; smart façade types and systems; lighting sources and systems; and mass timber materials, cross laminated timber (CLT) and nail laminated timber (NLT) Revised to reflect that latest updates in codes and standards requirements: 2018 International Building Code (IBC), LEED v4, and CSI MasterFormat 2018 Includes updated information on sustainability and green building; insulation materials; stair uses; stoves and inserts; and fire-rated wall and floor assemblies
Architecture and the housing question
Examines how the design and provision of housing around the world have become central both to competing political projects and to the architecture profession. How have architects acting as housing experts helped alleviate or enforce class, race, and gender inequality? What are the disciplinary implications of taking on shelter for the multitude as an architectural assignment and responsibility? The book features essays in the historiography of architecture and the housing question, and a collection of historical case studies from Belgium, China, France, Ghana, the Netherlands, Kenya, the Soviet Union, Turkey, and the United States.
After Taste : Expanded Practice in Interior Design
Comprising texts, interviews and portfolios that collectively document new theories and emerging critical practices in the field of interior design. The material is informed by, but not limited to, the annual AfterTaste symposia hosted by Parsons The New School of Design. The book s central argument is that the field of interior design is inadequately served by its historical reliance on taste-making and taste-makers, and, more recently from a set of theoretical concerns derived from architecture; the volume seeks to set an expanded frame by advancing new voices and perspectives in both the theory and practice of interior design, considered as an independent discipline. In 2007, the Department of Architecture, Interior Design and Lighting at Parsons The New School for Design inaugurated an annual international symposium series dedicated to the critical study of the interior.
250 Things a Landscape Architect Should Know
In this book 50 landscape architects from Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia each give five responses. These include practitioners and teachers, young start-ups as well as internationally established firms. The publication illustrates the complex and dynamic nature of the discipline, and presents a diverse cross-section of the core expertise of this field. At the same time, it allows the reader to trace the individual attitudes into which geographical conditions, social contexts and political circumstances flow.
MARE-WINT : New Materials and Reliability in Offshore Wind Turbine Technology
This book provides a holistic, interdisciplinary overview of offshore wind energy, and is a must-read for advanced researchers. Topics, from the design and analysis of future turbines, to the decommissioning of wind farms, are covered. The scope of the work ranges from analytical, numerical and experimental advancements in structural and fluid mechanics, to novel developments in risk, safety & reliability engineering for offshore wind. The core objective of the current work is to make offshore wind energy more competitive, by improving the reliability, and operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies of wind turbines.
Manual of multi-storey timber construction
Wood is suitable for use in multi-storey building construction with barely any restrictions. This is new and requires creative rethinking of tried and tested practices in wood construction: classical categories can be replaced by mixed construction methods as necessary within a project, which yields completely new possibilities in designing wood structures. The Manual provides architects, engineers and wood specialists with the essential expertise on the new systematic and construction methodology, from the design to prefabrication to the implementation on site. It lays the grounds for mutual understanding among everyone involved in the project, to facilitate the necessary cooperation in the integral planning and construction process



















