Michael E. Smith

In this book, Michael Smith offers a comparative and interdisciplinary examination of ancient settlements and cities. Early cities varied considerably in their political and economic organization and dynamics. Smith here introduces a coherent approach to urbanism that is transdisciplinary in scope, scientific in epistemology, and anchored in the urban literature of the social sciences. His new insight is 'energized crowding,' a concept that captures the consequences of social interactions within the built environment resulting from increases in population size and density within settlements. Smith explores the implications of features such as empires, states, markets, households, and neighborhoods for urban life and society through case studies from around the world. Direct influences on urban life – as mediated by energized crowding-are organized into institutional (top-down forces) and generative (bottom-up processes). Smith's volume analyzes their similarities and differences with contemporary cities, and highlights the relevance of ancient cities for understanding urbanism and its challenges today.

In this book, Michael Smith offers a comparative and interdisciplinary examination of ancient settlements and cities. Early cities varied considerably in their political and economic organization and dynamics. Smith here introduces a coherent approach to urbanism that is transdisciplinary in scope, scientific in epistemology, and anchored in the urban literature of the social sciences. His new insight is 'energized crowding,' a concept that captures the consequences of social interactions within the built environment resulting from increases in population size and density within settlements. Smith explores the implications of features such as empires, states, markets, households, and neighborhoods for urban life and society through case studies from around the world. Direct influences on urban life – as mediated by energized crowding-are organized into institutional (top-down forces) and generative (bottom-up processes). Smith's volume analyzes their similarities and differences with contemporary cities, and highlights the relevance of ancient cities for understanding urbanism and its challenges today.

The toil of several million peasant farmers in Aztec Mexico transformed lakebeds and mountainsides into a checkerboard of highly productive fields. This book charts the changing fortunes of one Aztec settlement and its terraced landscapes from the twelfth to the twenty-first century. It also follows the progress and missteps of a team of archaeologists as they pieced together this story. Working at a settlement in the Toluca Valley of central Mexico, the authors used fieldwalking, excavation, soil and artifact analyses, maps, aerial photos, land deeds, and litigation records to reconstruct the changing landscape through time. Exploiting the methodologies and techniques of several disciplines, they bring context to eight centuries of the region's agrarian history, exploring the effects of the Aztec and Spanish Empires, reform, and revolution on the physical shape of the Mexican countryside and the livelihoods of its people. Accessible to specialists and nonspecialists alike, this well-illustrated and well-organized volume provides a step-by-step guide that can be applied to the study of terraced landscapes anywhere in the world. The four authors share an interest in terraced landscapes and have worked together and on their own on a variety of archaeological projects in Mesoamerica, the Mediterranean, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

While many consumers profess a desire to help end climate change by engaging in more sustainable behaviors, consumer behavior experts note the "say-do" gap between expressed intention and behavior. How do we explain this? What, if anything, can consumers be encouraged to do to close this gap and purchase sustainable products and services? Inspiring Green Consumer Choices explains the factors that underlie the discrepancy between consumers' expressed preferences and their incongruous behavior in the marketplace. Drawing from advances in neuroscience, behavioral economics and experimental psychology, the author reveals how marketplace behavior is not always rational. Instead it is frequently the product of mental shortcuts, triggered by situational cues and colored by implicit emotional responses. In making purchasing decisions, routine consumer behavior is governed less by intention than by mental habits and unconscious response biases. These tendencies are difficult (but not impossible) to change. Inspiring Green Consumer Choices outlines how techniques such as psychological framing, design of choice architectures and pricing strategy can be used to disrupt habits and promote sustainable behavior. The author also addresses the role that legislative policy and changing social norms can play in accelerating and sustaining behavior change. Illustrated with case studies and filled with best practices, Inspiring Green Consumer Choices helps marketers understand how consumers make purchase decisions in order to shift consumption choices towards a more sustainable future.

While many consumers profess a desire to help end climate change by engaging in more sustainable behaviors, consumer behavior experts note the "say-do" gap between expressed intention and behavior. How do we explain this? What, if anything, can consumers be encouraged to do to close this gap and purchase sustainable products and services? Inspiring Green Consumer Choices explains the factors that underlie the discrepancy between consumers' expressed preferences and their incongruous behavior in the marketplace. Drawing from advances in neuroscience, behavioral economics and experimental psychology, the author reveals how marketplace behavior is not always rational. Instead it is frequently the product of mental shortcuts, triggered by situational cues and colored by implicit emotional responses. In making purchasing decisions, routine consumer behavior is governed less by intention than by mental habits and unconscious response biases. These tendencies are difficult (but not impossible) to change. Inspiring Green Consumer Choices outlines how techniques such as psychological framing, design of choice architectures and pricing strategy can be used to disrupt habits and promote sustainable behavior. The author also addresses the role that legislative policy and changing social norms can play in accelerating and sustaining behavior change. Illustrated with case studies and filled with best practices, Inspiring Green Consumer Choices helps marketers understand how consumers make purchase decisions in order to shift consumption choices towards a more sustainable future.

In Everyday Life in the Aztec World, Frances Berdan and Michael E. Smith offer a view into the lives of real people, doing very human things, in the unique cultural world of Aztec central Mexico. The first section focuses on people from an array of social classes - the emperor, a priest, a feather worker, a merchant, a farmer, and a slave - who interacted in the economic, social and religious realms of the Aztec world. In the second section, the authors examine four important life events where the lives of these and others intersected: the birth and naming of a child, market day, a day at court, and a battle. Through the microscopic views of individual types of lives, and interweaving of those lives into the broader Aztec world, Berdan and Smith recreate everyday life in the final years of the Aztec Empire.

In Everyday Life in the Aztec World, Frances Berdan and Michael E. Smith offer a view into the lives of real people, doing very human things, in the unique cultural world of Aztec central Mexico. The first section focuses on people from an array of social classes - the emperor, a priest, a feather worker, a merchant, a farmer, and a slave - who interacted in the economic, social and religious realms of the Aztec world. In the second section, the authors examine four important life events where the lives of these and others intersected: the birth and naming of a child, market day, a day at court, and a battle. Through the microscopic views of individual types of lives, and interweaving of those lives into the broader Aztec world, Berdan and Smith recreate everyday life in the final years of the Aztec Empire.

In a seedy bar, John Clarke begins his journey. We learn that John was like the rest of us, not so long ago. He had a steady job, a wife and a place in the world. By working hard and playing by the rules, he believed got you security.Life tenders no promises; he lost it all; marriage, job, sight and sanity.Living in a shabby hotel on the government's dime, stumbling from one misadventure from another, he is urged on by a seductive, enigmatic voice in his head. At midnight of the winter solstice, the voice gives him a simple offer, survive one year and a day and he will get his sight back.With this desperate hope hung on an insane premise, Prof takes up her challenge. Unsure of his own perceptions, John navigates this dark urban landscape built from funhouse mirrors, populated by; A lonely, betrayed grad student who rejects that final cab drive we all take and finds love with an arms-dealing creature of darkness A con-artist who is looking to make a legendary score and ends up auditioning to be the next great trickster god The last good cop in a city gone bad who learns the difference between law and justice A fashion-conscious fox spirit who wrestles with her own base instincts lest she loses her franchise on humanity Between sinister government agents, tutelary bikers and a chess game between voodoo Loas, Prof threads his way through these events and prepares to face his own demons and reclaim his life.

The EU's emergence as an international security provider, under the first Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations in the Balkans in 2003, is a critical development in European integration. In this book, which relies on extensive interviews with CSDP officials, Michael E. Smith investigates how the challenge of launching new CSDP operations causes the EU to adapt itself in order to improve its performance in this realm, through the mechanism of experiential institutional learning. However, although this learning has helped to expand the overall range and complexity of the CSDP, the effectiveness of this policy tool still varies widely depending on the nature of individual operations. The analysis also calls in to question whether the CSDP, and the EU's broader structures under the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, are fit for purpose in light of the EU's growing strategic ambitions and the various security challenges facing Europe in recent years.

The EU's emergence as an international security provider, under the first Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations in the Balkans in 2003, is a critical development in European integration. In this book, which relies on extensive interviews with CSDP officials, Michael E. Smith investigates how the challenge of launching new CSDP operations causes the EU to adapt itself in order to improve its performance in this realm, through the mechanism of experiential institutional learning. However, although this learning has helped to expand the overall range and complexity of the CSDP, the effectiveness of this policy tool still varies widely depending on the nature of individual operations. The analysis also calls in to question whether the CSDP, and the EU's broader structures under the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, are fit for purpose in light of the EU's growing strategic ambitions and the various security challenges facing Europe in recent years.

This innovative new text focuses on the politics of international security: how and why issues are interpreted as threats to international security and how such threats are managed. After a brief introduction to the field and its major theories and approaches, the core chapters systematically analyze the major issues on the contemporary international security agenda. Each is examined according to a common framework that brings out the nature of the threat and the responses open to policy makers.From war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, through environmental and economic crises, to epidemics, cyber-war and piracy, the twenty-first century world seems beset by a daunting range of international security problems. At the same time, the academic study of security has become more fragmented and contested than ever before as new actors, issues and theories increasingly challenge traditional concepts and approaches.This new edition has been heavily revised to discuss for the failings of the Obama admiration and its strategic partners on a number of different security issues, and the constant, evolving instances of turmoil the world has experienced since, whilst providing the skills students need to conduct their own research of international security issues occurring outside of this text, and for issues yet to occur. Cyber security, the 'Arab Spring' revolutions, the Ebola outbreak, and the refugee crisis are just some examples of the plethora of subjects that Smith analyses within this text.This textbook is an essential for those studying international security, whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level as part of a degree in international relations, politics, and other social sciences more generally.New to this Edition:- Chapter on cyber security- Up-to-date issues and field coverage - New 'mini-case studies' in each chapter- Updated analytical/pedagogical framework Pioneering framework for students to apply theory and empirical evidence correctly to tackle analytical and comparative tasks concerning both traditional and non-traditional security issues

This innovative new text focuses on the politics of international security: how and why issues are interpreted as threats to international security and how such threats are managed. After a brief introduction to the field and its major theories and approaches, the core chapters systematically analyze the major issues on the contemporary international security agenda. Each is examined according to a common framework that brings out the nature of the threat and the responses open to policy makers.From war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, through environmental and economic crises, to epidemics, cyber-war and piracy, the twenty-first century world seems beset by a daunting range of international security problems. At the same time, the academic study of security has become more fragmented and contested than ever before as new actors, issues and theories increasingly challenge traditional concepts and approaches.This new edition has been heavily revised to discuss for the failings of the Obama admiration and its strategic partners on a number of different security issues, and the constant, evolving instances of turmoil the world has experienced since, whilst providing the skills students need to conduct their own research of international security issues occurring outside of this text, and for issues yet to occur. Cyber security, the 'Arab Spring' revolutions, the Ebola outbreak, and the refugee crisis are just some examples of the plethora of subjects that Smith analyses within this text.This textbook is an essential for those studying international security, whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level as part of a degree in international relations, politics, and other social sciences more generally.New to this Edition:- Chapter on cyber security- Up-to-date issues and field coverage - New 'mini-case studies' in each chapter- Updated analytical/pedagogical framework Pioneering framework for students to apply theory and empirical evidence correctly to tackle analytical and comparative tasks concerning both traditional and non-traditional security issues

The Aztecs brings to life one of the best-known indigenous civilizations of the Americas in a vivid, comprehensive account of the ancient Aztecs. * A thorough examination of Aztec origins and civilization including religion, science, and thought * Incorporates the latest archaeological excavations and research into explanations of the Spanish conquest and the continuity of Aztec culture in Central Mexico * Expanded coverage includes key topics such as writing, music, royal tombs, and Aztec predictions of the end of the world

Rock Barn Golf and Spa is a special place. Cradled in the curve of the Catawba River, its rolling topography presents a tantalizing preview of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This premier golf course development, boasting two championship courses and an abundance of amenities, makes "living the good life" an everyday reality.Those responsible for creating this distinctive community possess a rare combination of vision and persistence: They are dreamers and they are doers. Two hundred years ago, another remarkable man settled in this area; he too dreamed big and labored long to bring his dreams to fruition. He established a large plantation and from the stones of Lyle's Creek fashioned a splendid rock barn. This impressive structure became a community landmark and is now listed on the National Register of Historical Places.This brief history will examine the origins of the Rock Barn and trace the development of the golf course community that proudly bears its name, Rock Barn Golf and Spa.

A guide book, a history book, a gazetteer, a sporting compendium, a natural history of the county, a dictionary of biography and a fun of factoids for the quiz fanatic, "A Derbyshire Miscellany" is all of these and much, much more. This book will appeal to all those interested in the county, or those who just like trivia. Mike's previous books were very well supported by "Radio Derby" and the "Derby Telegraph" as well as other local media. Here you will find an outline of the county's history as well as information about castles, monasteries and stately homes. The lives of sporting celebrities are included as well as biographies of politicians, inventors, industrialists and war heroes. The silk mill, built at Derby in 1722, has a strong claim to being the world's first factory and, in 1771 at Cromford, Richard Arkwright created a system of industrial production. These and other 'Derbyshire Firsts' are also described in the book Anyone searching for essential facts will find them here including information about royal visits, the arts, wildlife and countryside and food and drink. Industry and economy are also mentioned with an outline of the development of local industries."A Derbyshire Miscellany" is essential reading for anyone with an interest in or a connection with the county either as a resident, a tourist or a student of its history. It would make an ideal gift that would give pleasure for years to come.

Michael E. Smith tells the fascinating story of the inventors, entrepreneurs and artisans who contributed to the Industrial Revolution in Derbyshire. He describes the development of well-known industrial enterprises as diverse as Crown Derby, the Midland Railway, Rolls-Royce and the Butterley Company as well as many others. Derbyshire played an important part in the history of Britain's industrial development. The Romans mined lead here, and from mediaeval times coal mining, iron working and the manufacture of pottery were all important. The Silk Mill, built at Derby in 1722, has a good claim to being Britain's first factory, and in 1771, at Cromford, Richard Arkwright created a system of industrial production, that was copied throughout the world. As water power was replaced by steam, Derbyshire colliers hewed millions of tons of coal to fuel the later phase of the Industrial Revolution. With the coming of the railways, Derby became an important manufacturing centre, and firms such as James Smith, making uniforms, and Bemrose, printing tickets and timetables, piggybacked to prosperity in the wake of this railway boom.By the 20th century a number of engineering firms had established themselves within the county, and in 1940 Spitfires and Hurricanes powered by Rolls-Royce engines won the Battle of Britain. In the post-war world the development of the jet engine and new industries such as nuclear engineering kept Derbyshire in the forefront of technical research and industrial development. Michael E. Smith tells the fascinating story of the inventors, entrepreneurs and artisans who contributed to the Industrial Revolution in Derbyshire as well as later developments in aviation and chemical and nuclear engineering. He describes the development of well-known industrial enterprises as diverse as Crown Derby, the Midland Railway, Offiler's Brewery, Rolls-Royce, Bemrose, the Butterley Company and Toyota as well as many others.

Revision with unchanged content. Like most businesses today, municipal utilities are confronting trans-formational change. Once a protected monopoly, they face an increasingly competitive environment. Their production is being outsourced. Their ability to sustain prices is being challenged. As a result, they are recognizing the importance of their relationship with their customers. The need for quality training focused on specific competencies is becoming evident. Drawing on the results of a national survey of customer service representatives, the most important competencies for customer service providers are explored. Information from utility research, customer service competency research, training and development theory, and intellectual capital theory are combined. These concepts are linked to current research based on subject matter experts' insights.The information is essential for managers who confront rapid change in their marketplace. This book explores the importance and competitive advantage of customer relationships. HR professionals, marketing managers and customer service managers who seek to improve customer service through training will also benefit.

The Aztecs brings to life one of the best-known indigenous civilizations of the Americas in a vivid, comprehensive account of the ancient Aztecs.* A thorough examination of Aztec origins and civilization including religion, science, and thought* Incorporates the latest archaeological excavations and research into explanations of the Spanish conquest and the continuity of Aztec culture in Central Mexico* Expanded coverage includes key topics such as writing, music, royal tombs, and Aztec predictions of the end of the world

The Aztecs brings to life one of the best-known indigenous civilizations of the Americas in a vivid, comprehensive account of the ancient Aztecs. A thorough examination of Aztec origins and civilization including religion, science, and thoughtIncorporates the latest archaeological excavations and research into explanations of the Spanish conquest and the continuity of Aztec culture in Central MexicoExpanded coverage includes key topics such as writing, music, royal tombs, and Aztec predictions of the end of the world