Dealing with Dysfunction
Dealing with Dysfunction

Author: Jorrit de Jong

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2016-09-13

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0815722079

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How can we intervene in the systemic bureaucratic dysfunction that beleaguers the public sector? De Jong examines the roots of this dysfunction and presents a novel approach to solving it. Drawing from academic literature on bureaucracy and problem solving in the public sector, and the clinical work of the Kafka Brigade—a social enterprise based in the Netherlands dedicated to diagnosing and remedying bureaucratic dysfunction in practice, this study reveals the shortcomings of conventional approaches to bureaucratic reform. The usual methods have failed to diagnose problems, distinguish symptoms, or identify root causes in a comprehensive or satisfactory way. They have also failed to engage clients, professionals, and midlevel managers in understanding and addressing the dysfunction that plagues them. This book offers conceptual frameworks, theoretical insights, and practical lessons for dealing with the problem. It sets a course for rigorous public problem solving to create governments that can be more effective, efficient, equitable, and responsive to social concerns. De Jong argues that successfully remedying bureaucratic dysfunction depends on employing diagnostics capable of distinguishing and dissecting various kinds of dysfunction. The “Anna Karenina principle” applies here: all well functioning bureaucracies are alike; every dysfunctional bureaucracy is dysfunctional in its own way. The author also asserts that the worst dysfunction occurs when multiple organizations share responsibility for a problem, but no single organization is primarily responsible for solving it. This points to a need for creating and reinforcing distributed problem solving capacity focused on deep (cross-)organizational learning and revised accountability structures. Our best approach to dealing with dysfunction may therefore not be top-down regulatory reform, but rather relentless bottom-up and cross-boundary leadership and innovation. Using fourteen clinical cases of bureaucratic dysfunction investigated by the Kafka Brigade, the author demonstrates how a proper process for identifying, defining, diagnosing, and remedying the problem can produce better outcomes.

How to Cope with an Intractable Problem
How to Cope with an Intractable Problem

Author: Debajit Sensarma

Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 9783659437397

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Two-level logic minimization is an attractive topic in the active research domain and it is a central problem in logic synthesis, as well as in reliability analysis and automated reasoning and other real life applications. But, this Two-level logic minimization problem involves computationally intractable problems and many heuristic approaches have been developed to cope with this problem. This book contains the work which deals with the Two-level logic minimization problem using a popular data structure called Binary Decision Diagram (BDD) which is an important family of data structures that have rapidly become the method of choice for representing and manipulating Boolean Functions inside a computer. Also the implicit set manipulation techniques based on BDD could be used with success to compute the sets of Prime and Essential Prime Implicants of Boolean Functions for which these sets are too large to be explicitly built. So, this feature of BDD, the proper variable ordering of the BDD, Reduced Ordered BDD and other heuristic methods are used in this work for solving the Two-level logic minimization problem for the functions which generates large set of Prime Implicants.

The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping
The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping

Author: Susan Folkman Ph.D.

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010-11-30

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 0199705070

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Few publications have changed the landscape of contemporary psychology more than Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman's landmark work, Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Its publication in 1984 set the course for years of research on the dynamic processes of psychological stress and coping in human beings. Now more than a quarter-century later, The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping pushes the field even further with a comprehensive overview of the newest and best work in this dynamic subject. Edited by Susan Folkman and comprising chapters by the field's leading scientists, this new volume details the expanded knowledge base that has emerged from extensive research on stress and coping processes over the last several decades. Featuring 22 topic-based chapters -- including two by Folkman -- this volume offers unprecedented coverage of the two primary research topics related to stress and coping: mitigating stress-related harms and sustaining well-being in the face of stress. Both topics are addressed within their relevant contexts, including chronic illness, calamity, bereavement, and social hardship. The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping is an essential reference work for students, practitioners, and researchers across the fields of health psychology, medicine, and palliative care.

Mastering Algorithms and Data Structures
Mastering Algorithms and Data Structures

Author:

Publisher: Cybellium Ltd

Published:

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13:

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Unleash the Power of Efficient Problem-Solving In the realm of computer science and programming, algorithms and data structures are the building blocks of efficient problem-solving. "Mastering Algorithms and Data Structures" is your essential guide to understanding and harnessing the potential of these foundational concepts, empowering you to create optimized and elegant solutions. About the Book: As technology evolves and computational challenges grow more complex, a solid foundation in algorithms and data structures becomes crucial for programmers and engineers. "Mastering Algorithms and Data Structures" offers an in-depth exploration of these core concepts—an indispensable toolkit for professionals and enthusiasts alike. This book caters to both beginners and experienced programmers aiming to excel in algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and code optimization. Key Features: Algorithmic Fundamentals: Begin by understanding the core principles of algorithms. Learn how algorithms drive the execution of tasks and solve computational problems. Data Structures: Dive into the world of data structures. Explore arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs—the fundamental building blocks of organizing and storing data. Algorithm Analysis: Grasp the art of analyzing algorithm complexity. Learn how to measure time and space efficiency to ensure optimal algorithm performance. Searching and Sorting Algorithms: Explore essential searching and sorting algorithms. Understand how to search for data efficiently and how to sort data for easier manipulation. Dynamic Programming: Understand the power of dynamic programming. Learn how to break down complex problems into smaller subproblems for efficient solving. Graph Algorithms: Delve into graph algorithms. Explore techniques for traversing graphs, finding shortest paths, and detecting cycles. String Algorithms: Grasp techniques for manipulating and analyzing strings. Learn how to search for patterns, match substrings, and perform string transformations. Real-World Applications: Gain insights into how algorithms and data structures are applied across industries. From software development to machine learning, discover the diverse applications of these concepts. Why This Book Matters: In a digital age driven by technological innovation, mastering algorithms and data structures is a competitive advantage. "Mastering Algorithms and Data Structures" empowers programmers, software engineers, and technology enthusiasts to leverage these foundational concepts, enabling them to create efficient, elegant, and optimized solutions that solve complex computational problems. Unlock the Potential of Problem-Solving: In the landscape of computer science, algorithms and data structures are the keys to efficient problem-solving. "Mastering Algorithms and Data Structures" equips you with the knowledge needed to leverage these foundational concepts, enabling you to design elegant and optimized solutions to a wide range of computational challenges. Whether you're an experienced programmer or new to the world of algorithms, this book will guide you in building a solid foundation for effective problem-solving and algorithmic thinking. Your journey to mastering algorithms and data structures starts here. © 2023 Cybellium Ltd. All rights reserved. www.cybellium.com

Prevention and Coping in Child and Family Care
Prevention and Coping in Child and Family Care

Author: Michael Sheppard

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Published: 2003-11-15

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 184642433X

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How do mothers cope with child care and associated problems when, in adversity, they do not gain access to social service support? This book considers the important question of mothers' coping strategies when they are in adversity. Drawing upon the women's own accounts, it focuses not only on what they do themselves to deal with their problems, but how they integrate their own problem solving approaches with the use of supports. It also examines the way in which women cope with their own emotional responses to these problems. The women themselves, and their own accounts are placed 'centre stage' in this book. In doing this the book is able to create a major development in our understanding of the nature of Prevention, a central concept in welfare provision. Drawing upon Coping theory, and the findings of this study, this book extends and develops the concept of Prevention, creating a multidimensional model in which the actions of the mother herself (and other primary caregivers) are included alongside traditional domains. It will be of interest to a variety of academic and professional disciplines, including those interested in gender studies, sociology, social policy, as well as social work and health professionals.

The Nature of Philosophical Problems
The Nature of Philosophical Problems

Author: John Kekes

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0198712758

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We must all make choices about how we want to live. We evaluate our possibilities by relying on historical, moral, personal, political, religious, and scientific modes of evaluations, but the values and reasons that follow from them conflict. Philosophical problems are forced on us when we try to cope with such conflicts. There are reasons for and against all proposed ways of coping with the conflicts, but none of them has been generally accepted by reasonable thinkers. The constructive aim of The Nature of Philosophical Problems is to propose a way of understanding the nature of such philosophical problems, explain why they occur, why they are perennial, and propose a pluralist approach as the most reasonable way of coping with them. This approach is practical, context-dependent, and particular. It follows from it that the recurrence of philosophical problems is not a defect, but a welcome consequence of the richness of our modes of understanding that enlarges the range of possibilities by which we might choose to live. The critical aim of the book is to give reasons against both the absolutist attempt to find an overriding value or principle for resolving philosophical problems and of the relativist claim that reasons unavoidably come to an end and how we want to live is ultimately a matter of personal preference, not of reasons.

Taming Intractable Conflicts
Taming Intractable Conflicts

Author: Chester A. Crocker

Publisher: US Institute of Peace Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9781929223558

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Some conflicts seem to defy resolution. Marked by longevity, recurrent violence, and militant agendas, these intractable conflicts refuse to be settled either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. The longer they fester, the stronger the international community's inclination to lose heart and to turn away. But, explain the authors of this provocative volume, effective mediation in intractable conflicts is possible if the mediator knows what to do and when to do it.Written from the mediator's point of view, "Taming Intractable Conflicts" lays out the steps involved in tackling the most stubborn of conflicts. It first puts mediation in a larger context, exploring why mediators choose or decline to become involved, what happens when they get involved for the wrong reasons, and the impact of the mediator's institutional and political environment. It then discusses best mediation tradecraft at different stages: at the beginning of the engagement, when the going gets very rough, during the settlement negotiations, and in the post-settlement implementation stage.Forceful, concise, and highly readable, "Taming Intractable Conflicts" serves not only as a hands on guide for would-be mediators but also as a powerful argument for students of conflict management that intractable conflicts are not beyond the reach of mediation."

Coping with Obscurity
Coping with Obscurity

Author: James P. Allen

Publisher: Lockwood Press

Published: 2016-02-15

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1937040437

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Coping with Obscurity publishes the papers discussed at the Brown University Workshop on Earlier Egyptian grammar in March, 2013. The workshop united ten scholars of differing viewpoints dealing with the central question of how to judge and interpret the grammatical value of the written evidence preserved in texts of the Old and Middle Kingdoms (ca. 2350-1650 BC). The nine papers in the volume present orthographic, lexical, morphological, and syntactic approaches to the data and represent a significant step toward a new, pluralistic understanding of Earlier Egyptian grammar.

Advances in the Conceptualization of the Stress Process
Advances in the Conceptualization of the Stress Process

Author: William R. Avison

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-10-21

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1441910212

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In 1981, Leonard Pearlin and his colleagues published an article that would ra- cally shift the sociological study of mental health from an emphasis on psychiatric disorder to a focus on social structure and its consequences for stress and psyc- logical distress. Pearlin et al. (1981) proposed a deceptively simple conceptual model that has now influenced sociological inquiry for almost three decades. With his characteristic penchant for reconsidering and elaborating his own ideas, Pearlin has revisited the stress process model periodically over the years (Pearlin 1989, 1999; Pearlin et al. 2005; Pearlin and Skaff 1996). One of the consequences of this continued theoretical elaboration of the stress process has been the development of a sociological model of stress that embraces the complexity of social life. Another consequence is that the stress process has continued to stimulate a host of empirical investigations in the sociology of mental health. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to suggest that the stress process paradigm has been primarily responsible for the growth and sustenance of sociological research on stress and mental health. Pearlin et al. (1981) described the core elements of the stress process in a brief paragraph: The process of social stress can be seen as combining three major conceptual domains: the sources of stress, the mediators of stress, and the manifestations of stress. Each of these extended domains subsumes a variety of subparts that have been intensively studied in recent years.

Reflections On How We Live
Reflections On How We Live

Author: Annette Baier

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010-01-28

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0199570361

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The rights of past and future persons -- For the sake of future generations -- Discriminate death-dealing: who may kill whom, and how? -- Can philosophers be patriots? -- Why honesty is a hard virtue postscript -- Getting in touch with our own feelings -- How to get to know one's own mind: some simple ways -- The moral perils of intimacy -- Feelings that matter -- Demoralization, trust, and the virtues -- Sympathy and self-trust -- Putting hope in its place -- How to lose friends: some simple ways -- Alienating affection -- Faces, and other body parts -- Other minds: jottings towards an intellectual self-image.