Organization students and scholars are able to trace the rise of aesthetics in management studies through the papers presented in this volume. The papers are arranged for individual review or thematic explorations of aesthetic thinking; including review papers and articles that focus on fashion, narrative, theatre, music and craft. This volume is a major contribution for those seeking alternatives to rational and positivist perspectives on management and who are willing to explore those alternatives beyond the usual disciplinary bases.

The growing exploration of political life from an aesthetic perspective has become so prominent that we must now speak of an “aesthetic turn” in political thought. But what does it mean and what makes it an aesthetic turn? Why now? This diverse and path-breaking collection of essays answers these questions, provoking new ways to think about the possibilities and debilities of democratic politics. Beginning from the premise that politics is already “aesthetic in principle,” the contributions to The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought from some of the world's leading political theorists and philosophers, disclose a distinct set of political problems: the aesthetic problems of modern politics. The aesthetic turn in political thought not only recognizes that these problems are different in kind from the standard problems of politics, it also recognizes that they call for a different kind of theorizing – a theorizing that is itself aesthetic. A major contribution to contemporary theoretical debates, The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought will be essential reading to anyone interested in the interdisciplinary crossroads of aesthetic and politics.

Here is a practical guide to the essentials of business. This book provides everything you need to know about the key concepts and terms, from accountability to zero-sum game. Everything from management, economics and finance to marketing, organizational behaviour and operations is covered in just the right amount of detail to make things clear and intelligible. Business: The Key Concepts: * is detailed yet approachable * considers new developments in business, notably eBusiness and contemporary business ethics * covers established subjects, taking an international and strategic perspective that balances theory and practice * suggests specific further reading for many concepts and also includes an extensive bibliography. Whether you're already in business and could do with a handy reference guide, or you're a student needing an introduction to the fundamentals, Business: The Key Concepts is the perfect companion.

Branding has emerged as a cornerstone of marketing practice and corporate strategy, as well as a central cultural practice. In this book, Jonathan Schroeder brings together a curated selection of the most influential and thought-provoking papers on brands and branding from Consumption Markets and Culture, accompanied by new contributions from leading brand scholars Giana Eckhardt, John F. Sherry, Jr., Sidney Levy and Morris Holbrook. Organised into four perspectives – cultural, corporate, consumer, critical - these papers are chosen to highlight the complexities of contemporary branding through leading consumer brands such as Disney, eBay, Guinness, McDonalds, Nike, and Starbucks. They address key topics such as celebrity branding, corporate branding, place branding, and retail branding and critique the complexities of contemporary brands to provide a rich trove of interdisciplinary research insights into the function of brands as ethical, ideological and political objects. This thought-provoking collection will be of interest to all scholars of marketing, consumer behaviour, anthropology and sociology, and anyone interested in the powerful roles brands play in consumer’s lives and cultural discourse.

Businesses that tend to flourish during any given time period usually reflect the aspirations and attitudes of the prevailing culture. More specifically, the managers within these businesses reflect these characteristics. The challenge to management therefore is to read and interpret subtle cultural shifts and to understand how these shifts impact the role of business in society. These facts beg the questions What is the prevailing culture of the twenty-first century going to be? and How is this culture going to be reflected in the attitudes and aspirations of business management? The author of this remarkable book argues that the dominant culture will best be described as aesthetic in nature. The manager views his or her role as essentially artistic, seeking excellence in the craft rather than the pursuit of profit as the highest good. Parts one and two describe the existing models of management, the technical manager and the moral manager, and explain why they are no longer suitable. Then, incorporating business ethics, postmodern theory, virtue-ethics theory, and examples drawn from industry, Dobson convincingly argues the emergence of a new management paradigm. Part three describes the new model of management as artistic and aesthetic enterprise and the manager as artisan. Business scholars and theorists, practicing managers, and students will all find this book fascinating and useful in preparing for business in the coming century.

Presenting new thinking in organizational psychology from the Netherlands, Intervening and Changing is a guide to applying global thinking and democratic values to achieve innovation. Expertly steered by Jaap Boonstra and Leon de Caluwe, it explores tensions and paradoxes in the field of organizational change and presents interventions based in social interaction theory. Its vision is of people collaborating, making sense of their work and living situations and developing collaborative action for breakthrough innovation will be a source of inspiration for any manager, consultant or change agent.

Management Research: European Perspectives brings together experts in the field to take stock of European management research and reflect on its distinctiveness. Building on a successful series of papers published in the European Management Journal, this book contains international contributions providing a range of scholarly perspectives on the reality of European management research. The state of management scholarship has recently been a topic of great interest, focusing on such matters as the role of universities versus businesses in shaping research agendas, the so-called ‘rigour–relevance’ debate, the use of measurements in quality assessment of research outputs, the role of journal rankings, and the merits of the journal review system. Missing, however, is any discussion of what, if anything, constitutes a European approach to management research, how does it differ from other styles used in the rest of the world and why is there a need for such distinctiveness? It has been noted that European management scholars have a lower success rate for publishing theoretical papers than their North American counterparts, which is surprising given that Europe has been the cradle of many generative intellectual traditions. European scholars may be the heirs to those traditions, but they are sometimes criticised for failing to channel this legacy into authoritative theoretical contributions in elite US-based management journals. This book provides insightful contributions to the debate and offers critical reflections on what European-based scholars have to offer the study of management.

Providing a comprehensive overview and critique of the Thames Gateway plan, this volume examines the impact of urban planning and demographic change on East London's material and social environment. It also examines the immediate and longer term prospects for the Thames Gateway project both in relation to the 'Olympics effect' and the growth of new forms of regionalism.

Ludwig Wittgenstein famously said, “Ethics is aesthetics.” It is unclear what such a claim might mean and whether it is true. This book explores contentious issues arising at the interface of ethics and aesthetics. The contributions reflect on the status of aesthetic en ethical judgments, the relation of aesthetic beauty and ethical goodness and art and character development. The book further considers the potential role art could play in ethical analysis and in the classroom and explores in what respects aesthetics and ethics might be intertwined and even mutually supportive.

This is an indispensable and authoritative guide to the most crucial ideas, concepts and debates surrounding the study and exercise of leadership. Bringing together entries written by a wide range of international experts, this is an essential desktop resource for managers and leaders in all kinds of institutions and organizations, as well as students of business, sociology and politics. Topics covered in this guide include: authority creativity cross-cultural leadership motivation emotional intelligence group dynamics.