Created in 1895, the idea of Christmas plate originated with Harald Bing, owner of Bing & Grøndahl, who hired Swedish artist Frans August Hallin to create the motif. Hallin's technique of cutting the motif for the plate in relief created a very detailed expression. The first motif was the Copenhagen skyline."Many, many years ago the wealthy people of Europe started a Christmas custom of giving to each of their servants a platter heaped with fruit, cookies, candies and other good thi...

Design Research is a new interdisciplinary research area with a social science orientation at its heart, and this book explores how scientific knowledge can be put into practice in ways that are at once ethical, creative, helpful, and extraordinary in their results.In order to clarify the common aspects – in terms of features and approaches – that characterize all strands of research disciplines addressing design, Design Research undertakes an in-depth exploration...

This book provides practical guidance on processes of researching a range of relevant literature on a subject, planning and writing a literature review.

Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's Toolkit explores the application of systems ideas to investigate, evaluate, and intervene in complex and messy situations. The text serves as a field guide, with each chapter representing a method for describing and analyzing; learning about; or changing and managing a challenge or set of problems.The book is the first to cover in detail such a wide range of methods from so many different parts of the systems field. The book's I...

Evaluation—whether called by this name, quality assurance, audit, accreditation, or others—is an important social activity. Any organization that "lives in public" must now evaluate its activities, be evaluated by others, or evaluate others. What are the origins of this wave of evaluation? And, what worthwhile results emerge from it?The Evaluation Society argues that if we want to understand many of the norms, values, and expectations that we, sometimes unknowingly, bring ...

The fully revised and updated version of this successful Handbook is welcomed by management scholars world-wide. By bringing together the latest approaches from the leading experts in organizational learning & knowledge management the volume provides a unique and valuable overview of current thinking about how organizations accumulate 'knowledge' and learn from experience.Key areas of update in the new edition are:Resource based view of the firmCapa...

The SAGE Course Companion on Organization Theory is an accessible introduction to a challenging subject area. This book helps readers to extend their understanding of theories and make the connection between them and organizational practice. It will enhance their thinking skills in line with course requirements and provides support on how to revise for exams and prepare for and write assessed pieces. Readers are encouraged not only to think like a organizational theorist b...

"This is a must-read for every student, lecturer and professor. It establishes Internet Studies as essential to an understanding of how learners and educators can capture the value of our networked world."Professor William H. Dutton, Director of the Oxford Internet Institute, University of OxfordIn E-learning Theory and Practice the authors set out different perspectives on e-learning. The book deals with the social implications of e-learning, its transformative effects, an...

In Management Research the authors provide a stimulating and critical overview of the key theoretical debates on research paradigms and methodologies, demystifying the process and providing invaluable insights into the politics and practice of research.Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on it...

Understanding Organizations: Theories and Images introduces students to the key principles of understanding, designing, and managing organizations in an accessible and practical way. The book provides a conceptual toolkit containing the essential models, theories and concepts needed for working in, managing and evaluating organizations.Key Features:Insightful anecdotes discuss how for- and not-for profit organizations fit within our c...

Defining a research question, describing why it needs to be answered and explaining how methods are selected and applied are challenging tasks for anyone embarking on academic research within the field of landscape architecture. Whether you are an early career researcher or a senior academic, it is essential to draw meaningful conclusions and robust answers to research questions.Research in Landscape Architecture provides guidance on the rationales needed for selecting met...

This book addresses the widespread use of digital personal media in daily life. With a sociological and historical perspective, it explores the media-enhanced individualization and rationalization of the lifeworld, discussing the dramatic mediatization of daily life and calling on theorists such as McLuhan, Habermas and Goffman.