Divining Desire

Divining Desire

Author: Liza Featherstone

Publisher: OR Books

Published: 2018-02-15

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1682191079

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Over the course of the last century, the focus group has become an increasingly vital part of the way companies and politicians sell their products and policies. Few areas of life, from salad dressing to health care legislation to our favorite TV shows, have been left untouched by the questions put to controlled groups about what they do and don’t like. Divining Desire is the first-ever popular survey of this rich topic. In a lively, sweeping history, Liza Featherstone traces the surprising roots of the focus group in early-twentieth century European socialism, its subsequent use by the “Mad Men” of Madison Avenue, and its widespread deployment today. She also explores such famous “failures” of the method as the doomed launch of the Ford Edsel with its vagina shaped radiator grille, and the even more ill-fated attempt to introduce a new flavor of Coca Cola (which prompted street protests from devotees of the old formula). As elites have become increasingly detached from the general public, they rely ever more on focus groups, whether to win votes or to sell products. And, in a society where many feel increasingly powerless, the focus group has at least offered the illusion that ordinary people will be listened to and that their opinions count. Yet, it seems the more we are consulted, the less power we have. That paradox is particularly stark today, when everyone can post an opinion on social media—our 24 hour “focus group”—yet only plutocrats can shape policy. In telling this fascinating story, Featherstone raises profound questions about democracy, desire and the innermost workings of consumer society.


The Critical Few

The Critical Few

Author: Jon R. Katzenbach

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Published: 2019-01-16

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1523098732

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In a global survey by the Katzenbach Center, 80 percent of respondents believed that their organization must evolve to succeed. But a full quarter of them reported that a change effort at their organization had resulted in no visible results. Why? The fate of any change effort depends on whether and how leaders engage their culture: the self-sustaining patterns of behaving, feeling, thinking, and believing that determine how things are done in an organization. Culture is implicit rather than explicit, emotional rather than rational--that's what makes it so hard to work with, but that's also what makes it so powerful. For the first time, this book lays out the Katzenbach Center's proven methodology for identifying your culture's four most critical elements: traits, characteristics that are at the heart of people's emotional connection to what they do; keystone behaviors, actions that would lead your company to succeed if they were replicated at a greater scale; authentic informal leaders, people who have a high degree of "emotional intuition" or social connectedness; and metrics, integrated, thoughtful measures to track progress, encourage the self-reinforcing cycle of lasting change and link to business performance. By leveraging these critical few elements, you can tap into a source of catalytic change within your organization. People will make an emotional, not just a rational, commitment to new initiatives. You will elicit enthusiasm and creativity and build the kind of powerful company that people recognize for its innate value and effectiveness.


Competing Values Leadership

Competing Values Leadership

Author: Kim S. Cameron

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2014-08-29

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1783477113

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øIt would be unusual for a framework as powerful and predictive as the Competing Values Framework to remain unchallenged and absent of criticism. In addition to updating the examples and references, this second edition provides a new chapter motivated


Psychology and Culture

Psychology and Culture

Author: Lisa Vaughn

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2010-04-05

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1136980326

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With increasing globalization, countries face social, linguistic, religious and other cultural changes that can lead to misunderstandings in a variety of settings. These changes can have broader implications across the world, leading to changing dynamics in identity, gender, relationships, family, and community. This book addresses the subsequent need for a basic understanding of the cultural dimensions of psychology and their application to everyday settings. The book discusses the basis of culture and presents related theories and concepts, including a description of how cognition and behavior are influenced by different sociocultural contexts. The text explores a broad definition of culture and provides practical models to improve intercultural relations, communication, and cultural competency. Each chapter contains an introduction, a concise overview of the topic, a practical application of the topic using current global examples, and a brief summary. This up to date overview of psychology and culture is ideal reading for undergraduate and graduate students and academics interested in culturally related topics and issues.


Retro

Retro

Author: Elizabeth E. Guffey

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2006-11-15

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9781861892904

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Drawing upon a wealth of original research and entertaining anecdotal material, Guffey unearths the roots of the term “retro” and chronicles its evolving manifestations in culture and art throughout the last century.


The Culture Map

The Culture Map

Author: Erin Meyer

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 2014-05-27

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1610392590

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An international business expert helps you understand and navigate cultural differences in this insightful and practical guide, perfect for both your work and personal life. Americans precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans get straight to the point; Latin Americans and Asians are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians think the best boss is just one of the crowd. It's no surprise that when they try and talk to each other, chaos breaks out. In The Culture Map, INSEAD professor Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain in which people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together. She provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business, and combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice.


Deep Focus (Engaging Culture)

Deep Focus (Engaging Culture)

Author: Robert K. Johnston

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2019-03-19

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 149341691X

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Three media experts guide the Christian moviegoer into a theological conversation with movies in this up-to-date, readable introduction to Christian theology and film. Building on the success of Robert Johnston's Reel Spirituality, the leading textbook in the field for the past 17 years, Deep Focus helps film lovers not only watch movies critically and theologically but also see beneath the surface of their moving images. The book discusses a wide variety of classic and contemporary films and is illustrated with film stills from favorite movies.


Track: Navigating Culture

Track: Navigating Culture

Author: Walt Mueller

Publisher: Christian Focus

Published: 2021-07-09

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9781527106949

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A practical guide to living in and engaging with culture, while living for God. We all belong to a culture. From the shows we watch to the language we use to the food we eat;culture shapes the way we look at the world, the way we act, the way we think.It affects so much of our lives, and yet we are rarely aware of it. If we are not careful, it can push us away from God's good desires for who we are and how we live in our world. This short,helpful book from the Track series encourages young adults to think about what it means to live in the culture but to follow God's ways rather than the ways of the world. Walt Mueller begins by explaining what culture is, how it affects the way we see the world,and how we can be aware of the differences between what God teaches in His Word and what our culture says is true. He then covers a couple of big issues that young people face where there is a stark difference between biblical truth and wisdom, and the way our friends might see things. Contents Soup and Sandwiches We All Wear Glasses Culture, Your Story and God's Story Living Christianly in Culture World, Word, Walk: on Gender World, Word, Walk: on Social Media About the Track Series Track is a series of books designed to disciple the next generation in the areas of culture, doctrine, & the Christian life. While the topics addressed aren't always simple, they are communicated in a manner that is.


Win from Within

Win from Within

Author: James Heskett

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2022-01-04

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 0231554826

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There is significant evidence that an effective organizational culture provides a major competitive edge—higher levels of employee and customer engagement and loyalty translate into higher growth and profits. Many business leaders know this, yet few are doing much to improve their organizations’ cultures. They are discouraged by misguided beliefs that an executive’s tenure and an organization’s attention span are too short for meaningful transformation. James Heskett provides a roadmap for achievable and fast-paced culture change. He demonstrates that an effective culture supplies the trust that makes managing change of all kinds easier. It provides a foundation on which changes in strategy can be based, and it’s a competitive edge that can’t easily be hacked or copied. Examining leading companies around the world, Heskett details how organizational culture makes employees more loyal, more productive, and more creative. He discusses how to quantify its effects in order to sell the notion of culture change to the organization and considers how to preserve an organization’s culture in the face of the trend toward remote work hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Showing how leadership can bring about significant changes in a surprisingly short time span, Win from Within offers a playbook for developing and deploying culture that enables outsized results. It is a groundbreaking demonstration of organizational culture’s role as a foundation for strategic success—and its measurable impact on the bottom line.


Belize

Belize

Author: Ian Peedle

Publisher: Latin Amer Bureau

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9781899365357

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Belize In Focus is one in a series of guides covering the countries of South and Central America and the Caribbean.