The disconnect between knowledge and performance is a continuing debate. This book attempts to unravel the criticality of complimentary individual factors over academic credentials in determining success. An endeavour to bridge the void between formal knowledge and real-world demands on practice of management, the book exposes chinks in application of management knowledge in isolation and the need to recognise the accelerating obsolescence of management theories. The intent is to sensitise management students and practitioners on nurturing an open mind on continuous learning, challenging, and application of knowledge with contextual sensitivity. Our educational system fails to address the critical elements essential to effectively put into practice the formal knowledge from an undergraduate /graduate program. Gaps between formal education and real-world practice are filled by a mentor/coach on the job, who interprets situations in the context of theories to carve a judicious just-in-time amalgam of concepts to apply and interpret outcomes. This book is expected to be such a coach or mentornot a lecturer on theory, not a replacement for text books, but a guide and a companion. I hope readers will find value, help supplement the content, and educate the author from their own experiences and views.

With the advent of mind-body medicine, it is now possible to combine the healing principles of both the medical and spiritual fields. To this end, Dr. Phil Shapiro has developed a ten-step, self-help model that he uses himself and teaches to his students and patients. After you have received your medication, surgery, or natural remedy and you are still in pain, there are a variety of psychosocial and spiritual methods that can help you manage that pain skillfully. The ten-step model described in this book is a composite of healing principles and methods extracted from the great wisdom traditions and organized into cognitive-behavioral practices. These techniques are designed to help the reader accomplish three goals: 1. Expand healing power: for body, mind, and soul 2. Become more skillful pain managers: for any pain, problem, disease, or disability 3. Evolve spiritually: feel better, become a better person, and experience higher states of consciousness To take advantage of the healing principles embedded in the religions, we need to solve the problem of toxic language and traumatic religious history. There is a way to do this. We can design healing models that serve people of all persuasions: Baptists, Sufis, ethical humanists, scientific atheists, true believers, true non-believers-all of us have the same magnificent healing power in every cell of our bodies, and we know how to make it grow. The ten steps do not declare answers to life's big questions, such as why we are born, why there is so much suffering and evil, whether there is a God, and where we go after death. However, we can apply the wealth of healing wisdom in the great faith traditions to help us manage our pain and heal. This book is written for atheists, agnostics, religious or spiritual persons. Anyone can play in the expanded field of healing power.

Approachable guide combining project management principles and proven best practices applied to transportation projects Transportation Project Management is a comprehensive and approachable work providing practical guidance on all aspects of managing transportation projects. It covers project management principles, practical applications, and proven best practices, all tailored specifically to the unique workflows of developing and designing transportation projects, from inception through to advertisement for construction. Detailed themes include technical competencies, industry constraints, organizational opportunities, and the range of soft skills necessary to be an effective leader in this role. This timely publication responds to recent trends in the industry, as transportation organizations become more project-centric in their strategic approach, to enable more efficient project and program delivery amidst increased spending on infrastructure. Some topics covered in Transportation Project Management include: The “Triple Constraint” of budget, scope, and schedule, and meaningful change management The transportation Project Development Process and its unique interdependencies, opportunities, and constraints Creating your project management plan, a living document providing guidance and clarification on how the project will be managed during development Organizational structures, establishing and understanding how your organization operates, including who makes what decisions Understanding the fundamental differences between projects, programs, and portfolios, enabling successful project management within any organizational structure Critical Project Management soft skills, including communication, time management, leading meetings, stakeholder engagement, influence management, and managing expectations Developing and leading focused, efficient, and effective project teams Partnering with consultants to manage risks, drive development, and increase quality Aimed at professional transportation project managers in both the public and private sectors, along with engineering undergraduate and graduate students in related programs of study, Transportation Project Management provides the foundations for practitioners to become great transportation project managers.

Global interest in African studies has been rapidly growing as researchers realize the importance of understanding the impact African communities can have on the economy, development, education, and more. As the use, acceptance, and popularity of African knowledge increases, it is crucial to explore how this community-based knowledge provides deeper insights, understanding, and influence on such things as decision making and problem solving. African Studies: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice examines the politics, culture, language, history, socio-economic development, methodologies, and contemporary experiences of African peoples from around the world. Highlighting a range of topics such as indigenous knowledge, developing countries, and public administration, this publication is an ideal reference source for sociologists, policymakers, anthropologists, government officials, economists, instructors, researchers, academicians, and graduate-level students in a variety of fields.

Profiles the personalities and strategic cultures of some of the United States' most dangerous international rivals.

The market for business knowledge is booming as companies looking to improve their performance pour millions of pounds into training programmes, consultants, and executive education. Why then, are there so many gaps between what firms know they should do and waht they actual do? This volume confronts the challenge of turning knowledge about how to improve performance into actions that produce measurable results. The authors identify the causes of this gap and explain how to close it.