Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Practice Management Consult is a comprehensive, one-stop reference text on all things management related, from understanding the marketplace in which veterinarians practice, to appreciating hospital finances, to the nuts and bolts of marketing services for a veterinary practice. Topics are covered in a thorough but concise format and provide invaluable information for practice owners, administrators, associates and staff. Key Features: ? follows the popular Five-Minute Veterinary Consult structured format ? consistency of presentation makes for easy information retrieval ? focus is on practical rather than theoretical solutions for veterinary practice issues ? Provides examples within relevant topics Sections include: ? The veterinary marketplace ? Client relationship management ? Communications ? Financial management ? Cash management ? Human resources ? Marketing management ? Operations management ? Administrative management ? Practice safety ? Legal Issues ? Planning & Decision-making ? Facility management, design and construction Plus, appendices, list of abbreviations, glossary, and more!

A comprehensive guide to making better capital structure and corporate financing decisions in today's dynamic business environment Given the dramatic changes that have recently occurred in the economy, the topic of capital structure and corporate financing decisions is critically important. The fact is that firms need to constantly revisit their portfolio of debt, equity, and hybrid securities to finance assets, operations, and future growth. Capital Structure and Corporate Financing Decisions provides an in-depth examination of critical capital structure topics, including discussions of basic capital structure components, key theories and practices, and practical application in an increasingly complex corporate world. Throughout, the book emphasizes how a sound capital structure simultaneously minimizes the firm's cost of capital and maximizes the value to shareholders. Offers a strategic focus that allows you to understand how financing decisions relates to a firm's overall corporate policy Consists of contributed chapters from both academics and experienced professionals, offering a variety of perspectives and a rich interplay of ideas Contains information from survey research describing actual financial practices of firms This valuable resource takes a practical approach to capital structure by discussing why various theories make sense and how firms use them to solve problems and create wealth. In the wake of the recent financial crisis, the insights found here are essential to excelling in today's volatile business environment.

Lifestyle and Social Structure: Concepts, Definitions, Analyses is devoted the relationship between lifestyle and social structure. The book begins by constructing a meaningful concept of lifestyle in order to understand and model this relationship. The general formulation of the concept hinges on the descriptive word style, defined as ""any distinctive, and therefore recognizable way in which an act is performed or an artifact made or ought to be performed and made."" After developing the implications of the definition, lifestyle is defined, by analogy, as ""any distinctive, and therefore recognizable mode of living."" The notion of social structure is then introduced, arguing that structural differentiation engenders lifestyle differentiation. The remainder of the work is concerned primarily with the modeling of this relationship using data from the 1972-1973 Survey of Consumer Expenditures, and with the concept of stylistic unity. Key topics discussed include the relationship between the theory of lifestyle differentiation and modern economic utility theory; psychographic notions of lifestyle; and the relationships between lifestyle and other key sociological concepts (stratification, alienation). The concept of lifestyle should be of interest to a broad range of applied and theoretical researchers.

To remain relevant in today’s world, practitioners should presume that they have two jobs: first, to do their work effectively so that they provide value to the organization; second, to improve how the work is done so that their organization remains competitive. This book offers clear guidance to excel at this ubiquitous second job. Informed by an appreciation that most personnel that work in any firm, even firms that are manufacturing-oriented, routinely provide services as a key element of their jobs, this book explains how to provide and improve internal customer service, regardless of industry or role. It illustrates the common features, or service process "DNA," while providing a diverse set of examples to enhance understanding. Written by a pioneer in the development of principles and methodologies that address services in a structured and distinctive manner, this book stresses that service processes are distinctly different from manufacturing processes. Rigorous and practical, this book will appeal to students and professionals alike, in business, hospitality, industrial management, public health, and other fields. Online resources include Excel files that act as templates to help with quantitative analysis routines.

This is an exploration of the creative work done by leading sociologists who were inspired by the scholarship of Neil Smelser.