Managing a Material World

Managing a Material World PDF

Author: Pier Vellinga

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 9401151253

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As we reach the end of the 20th century, the question of how to meet human needs and preferences while safeguarding the global environment is a major concern facing humanity. This book reflects the state of the art of thinking on the necessary concepts, tools and instruments that are likely to help producers, consumers and governments to adjust their policies and practices. It covers theories and concepts, practical approaches and visions of industry and government. The book has been written by a team of authors that includes the most forward thinking researchers and managers on the issue. It is a handbook for all those involved in decisions about product design and eco-efficiency, about environment and resource use policies. Moreover it can serve as a handbook for all those who are studying with the aim to become involved in such issues.

A Companion to U.S. Foreign Relations

A Companion to U.S. Foreign Relations PDF

Author: Christopher R. W. Dietrich

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2020-03-04

Total Pages: 1518

ISBN-13: 1119459699

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Covers the entire range of the history of U.S. foreign relations from the colonial period to the beginning of the 21st century. A Companion to U.S. Foreign Relations is an authoritative guide to past and present scholarship on the history of American diplomacy and foreign relations from its seventeenth century origins to the modern day. This two-volume reference work presents a collection of historiographical essays by prominent scholars. The essays explore three centuries of America’s global interactions and the ways U.S. foreign policies have been analyzed and interpreted over time. Scholars offer fresh perspectives on the history of U.S. foreign relations; analyze the causes, influences, and consequences of major foreign policy decisions; and address contemporary debates surrounding the practice of American power. The Companion covers a wide variety of methodologies, integrating political, military, economic, social and cultural history to explore the ideas and events that shaped U.S. diplomacy and foreign relations and continue to influence national identity. The essays discuss topics such as the links between U.S. foreign relations and the study of ideology, race, gender, and religion; Native American history, expansion, and imperialism; industrialization and modernization; domestic and international politics; and the United States’ role in decolonization, globalization, and the Cold War. A comprehensive approach to understanding the history, influences, and drivers of U.S. foreign relation, this indispensable resource: Examines significant foreign policy events and their subsequent interpretations Places key figures and policies in their historical, national, and international contexts Provides background on recent and current debates in U.S. foreign policy Explores the historiography and primary sources for each topic Covers the development of diverse themes and methodologies in histories of U.S. foreign policy Offering scholars, teachers, and students unmatched chronological breadth and analytical depth, A Companion to U.S. Foreign Relations: Colonial Era to the Present is an important contribution to scholarship on the history of America’s interactions with the world.

Living in a Material World

Living in a Material World PDF

Author: Kevin Morrison

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-12-08

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 0470697458

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At a time when the world is grappling with rising food and energy prices and climate change, Living in a Material World provides an insight into some of the contributing factors behind these challenges. The emergence of new consumers in China, India, Russia and the Middle East has added formidable competition to the natural resources that have been taken for granted in the developed world. Everything we consume involves the use of metals, fossil fuels or agriculture. Our high tech 'lifestyles' depend on the secure supply of these raw materials which we take from planet earth and use to make our lives more comfortable, more productive or more manageable. The effect of this increasing global demand for commodities has pushed up prices of materials from oil and copper to corn and wheat; forcing consumers to pay more for the many 'necessities' of life, from a loaf of bread to electricity bills. Since the commodity boom has unfolded, commodities have gone from the back page of the newspaper to the front; with more and more headlines about record food and oil prices, dire climate change warnings, energy security and China's demand for more raw materials. This era of high oil and food prices is no passing phase: The supply of many key natural resources is stretched to the limit. But what is the real cost? Living in a Material World makes the link between raw materials and the consumer, and shows how they are relevant to everybody, everyday - now more so than at any time since the last oil shock nearly three decades ago. A unique insight into this 'once in a generation' boom, the book shows how the increasing value of commodities is impacting on consumers and investors, in ways we are only just beginning to understand. "It was a great pleasure to read this book which provides an essential background to understanding commodities for anybody interested in understanding them more closely. It is so rare to see all the essential elements brought together in one book." –Chris Brodie, Krom River Partners LLP "Kevin Morrison set out to write a book about the daily relevance that raw materials have for the ordinary consumer. He has achieved his objective par excellence. The subject matter has been comprehensively researched and well documented - yet the writer has avoided using complicated technical language. The style of the book is more in tune with a novel and the main topics are treated with a special sense of humour. I would readily recommend this work to anyone interested in how global energy issues have a direct affect on us all." –Mehdi Varzi, President, Varzi Energy, London

Museums in the Material World

Museums in the Material World PDF

Author: Simon Knell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-08-07

Total Pages: 775

ISBN-13: 1134115881

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Museums in the Material World seeks to both introduce classic and thought-provoking pieces and contrast them with articles which reveal grounded practice. The articles are selected from across the full breadth of museum disciplines and are linked by a logical narrative, as detailed in the section introductions. The choice of articles reveals how the debate has opened up on disciplinary practice, how the practices of the past have been critiqued and in some cases replaced, how it has become necessary to look beyond and outside disciplinary boundaries, and how old practices can in many circumstances continue to have validity. Museums in the Material World is about broadening horizons and moving museum studies students, and others, beyond the narrow confines of their own disciplinary thinking or indeed any narrow conception of collections. In essence, this is a book about the practice of interpretation and will therefore be of great use to those students and museum practitioners involved in the field of material culture in museums.

Living in a Material World

Living in a Material World PDF

Author: Trevor Pinch

Publisher: Mit Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13:

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This book draws on the tools of science and technology studies and economic sociology to reconceptualize the intersection of economy and technology, suggesting materiality - the idea that social existence involves not only actors and social relations but also objects - as the theoretical point of convergence.

World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling

World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling PDF

Author: Edward H. Frazelle

Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional

Published: 2001-10-09

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 0071785590

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Timeless Insights for Planning and Managing 21st-Century Warehouse Operations Despite today's just-in-time production mentality, with its efforts to eliminate warehouses and their inventory carrying costs, effective warehousing continues to play a critical bottom-line role for companies worldwide. World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling covers today's state-of-the-art tools, metrics, and methodologies for dramatically increasing the effectiveness, accuracy, and overall productivity of warehousing operations. Written by one of today's recognized logistics thought leaders, this comprehensive resource provides authoritative answers on such topics as: The seven principles of world-class warehousing Warehouse activity profiling Warehouse performance measures Warehouse automation and computerization Receiving and put away Storage and retrieval operations Picking and packing Humanizing warehouse operations World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling describes the processes and systems required for meeting the changing demands of warehousing. Filled with practices from proven to innovative, it will help all logistics professionals improve the productivity, quality, and cycle time of their existing warehouse operations. Not too long ago, effective warehousing was a relatively straightforward progression of receiving, storing, and shipping. But in today's age of e-commerce, supply chain integration, globalization, and just-in-time methodology, warehousing has become more complex than at any time in the pastnot to mention more costly. World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling breaks through the confusing array of warehouse technology, buzzwords, and third-party providers to describe the principles of warehousing required for the implementation of world-class warehousing operations. Holding up efficiency and accuracy as the keys to success in warehousing, it is the first widely published methodology for warehouse problem solving across all areas of the supply chain, providing an organized set of principles that can be used to streamline all types of warehousing operations. Case studies from Avon, Ford, Xerox, True Value Hardware, and others detail how today's most innovative logistics and supply chain managers are arriving at proven solutions to a wide variety of warehousing challenges. Topics discussed include: Warehouse activity profilingfor identifying causes of information and material flow problems and pinpointing opportunities for improvement Warehouse performance measuresfor monitoring, reporting, and benchmarking warehouse performance Storage and retrieval system selectionfor improving storage density, handling productivity, and trade-offs in required capital investment Order picking strategiesfor improving the productivity and accuracy of order fulfillment Computerizing warehousing operationsfor profiling activity, monitoring performance, and simplifying operations World-Class Warehousing and Material Handling integrates global and e-commerce issues as it addresses customization, information technology, performance analysis, expansion and contraction planning, and the overall role of the warehouse in logistics management and the supply chain. Filled with proven operational solutions, it will guide managers as they develop a warehouse master plan, one designed to minimize the effects of supply chain inefficiencies as it improves logistics accuracy and inventory managementand reduces overall warehousing expense.

Material World

Material World PDF

Author: Peter Menzel

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9780871564306

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A photo-journey through the homes and lives of 30 families, revealing culture and economic levels around the world.

Consumption and Well-Being in the Material World

Consumption and Well-Being in the Material World PDF

Author: Miriam Tatzel

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-09-30

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 9400773684

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This volume addresses how we can find happiness and well-being in the material world. It builds on previous works that find that materialism is associated with lowered well-being (materialists are less happy) and that consumerism, in all its profusion, is harmful to environmental well-being. How can we use the money and possessions in our lives in the service of well-being? Apparently not by being materialistic. Can we benefit from the many wonders of the marketplace -- in technology, convenience and aesthetics -- without falling prey to the lures and dangers of excessive material preoccupation? Can we meet our material needs in ways that nourish growth and well-being? The authors of the chapters in this volume are on-going researchers into such questions. Herein you can learn about the hedonic benefits of thrift and of spending on experiences; how possessions can be beneficial; how different types of consumers spend money; cultural variations in conceptions of the "good life;" how we might reconcile environmental and consumer well-being; and how to measure the whole of human, economic, and environmental well-being. Taken all together, this collection finds grounds for compatibility between what's good for the consumer and what's good for the environment. This volume appeals to academics, professionals, students and others interested in materialism and consumer well-being.

Managing a Material World

Managing a Material World PDF

Author: Pier Vellinga

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 1998-06-30

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9780792352068

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At the end of the 20th century, the question of how to meet human needs and preferences while safeguarding the environment is a concern facing humanity. This text reflects the thinking on the necessary concepts, tools and instruments that are likely to help producers, consumers and governments.