Water Management in 2020 and Beyond (Water Resources Development and Management) Asit K.

Biswas, Cecilia Tortajada and Rafael Izquierdo-Avino | Springer | 201107-06 | 270 pages | English | PDF Water is intertwined in the daily life of humans in countless ways. The importance of water as a driver for health, food security, and quality of life and as a pillar for economic development is unique. As water affects human lives, the mankind also effects the hydrological cycle, in all dimensions from the local to the global scale. Food production accounts for 90% of water use in developing countries. Hydropower production evokes emotions; yet sustainable energy production is among cornerstones of economic development. The damages caused by floods and droughts are escalating all over the world. The human impacts on ecosystems are increasing as well. Water is largely a political good since a bulk of the mankind lives in river basins shared by two or more nations. These complexities are approached in the book in depth. The analyses include consideration of how developments in seemingly unrelated processes and sectors such as globalisation, free trade, energy, security, information and communication revolutions, health-related issues such as HIV/AIDS, as well as emerging developments in sectors that are linked more conventionally to water, such as population growth, urbanisation, technological development, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, management of water quality and ecosystem health, are likely to affect water management in the future. For the first time, a pragmatic attempt is make to define a realistic framework for water management in 2020 with leading experts from different parts of the world as well as different disciplines.

rof. Micael Dahlen, "Creativity Unlimited: Thinking Inside the Box for Business Innovation" Wiley | 2009 | ISBN: 0470770848 | 372 pages | PDF | 1,3 MB Flying in the face of current thinking, this book suggests that we do not need to think outside the box in our quest for creativity, rather we should rethink the way we look inside the box. This idea will resonate only too well with those who have endeavoured to be creative by thinking outside that box, only to have their attempts scuppered by the constraints of bureaucracy and organizational politics. Instead of fighting a losing battle, the author suggests that creativity should be worked at within the constraints of the organizational box, but that space needs to be grown and allowed to be shaken up. Only by experimenting, mutating and finding new directions can you uncover business paths that lead to success. The reader is encouraged not to free themselves from all their knowledge and experiences (the thinking outside the box method) but to use their knowledge and experience in new ways. The book is structured around three key steps:

Expanding the box: so that the pieces of the puzzle in it can move around more freely. Filling the box: with even more knowledge, and how to get these new pieces of the puzzle to connect with the existing ones Shaking the box: so that the pieces fall into new places and form new patterns. The book shows that any body can be creative. The creative methods suggested in the book will be linked to real business examples from which techniques have been developed to help their implementation. Numerous exercises and eyeopeners form part of the practical implementation of Micael Dahlns ideas. The book is framed by models and concepts of how creativity works (the creative process, the creative person and the creative result) and what its effects are.

David S. Cohen - Inside the Box: Leading With Corporate Values to Drive Sustained Business Success Publisher: Jossey-Bass | 2006-09 | ISBN: 0470838329 | PDF | 313 pages | 1.06 MB

How to turn company values into competitive advantage We are inclined, for whatever reason, to treat values like works of art. We view them as nice to hang on the wall, and beautiful to look at, but we dont act as though they truly mean much to us in the real world. In fact, the opposite is true. The best organizations understand their values, articulate them clearly, and hold them higher than any short-term concerns or short-cut methods. This does not put these companies at a competitive disadvantage. It is the source of their competitive advantage. If there's no clarity at the top about what values really mean, then there's no consistency at the management level or further down the organization. This means that there's no way to measure, coach, assess, promote or fire people in line with those values. Any organization that does not articulate its values concretely functions like a modern Tower of Babel. No one can be quite sure that they are speaking the same language at different levels or different locations within the organization. Decisions don't always make sense or feel right. Confusion reigns. No matter how compelling and inspirational the organization's vision may be, its aspirations fall far short in reality. Values are about achieving results in a way that is consistent with what an organization stands for. They provide a direct connection between the CEO, the factory worker and everyone in between; and form the basis of the organization's "brand" as understood by employees, customers, suppliers and even shareholders. When the work is done right, values provide an organizing principle, a directional compass that helps organizations succeed; they become a source of energy for an organization's vision, strategy and day-to-day efforts. Vision, strategy, market share, reputation and profits are all veryimportant but having a clear and consistent set of values is far more critical in predicting whether an organization will continue to succeed and grow as its people,

markets, competitive landscape and technology change. People must make their contributions to an organization willingly and independently to bring passion, commitment, creativity and energy to a job. But they will do so only so long as they believe that what they are doing is authentic and meaningful, and is part of a code of commitment shared by the organization as a whole. Inside the Box focuses on values in a clear and practical way to understand what they are, where they come from and how they are transmitted from employee generation to generation. Inside the Box provides a roadmap for any leader or manager on how to identify the values that make an organization, department, team, or individual unique. It also shows how to measure whether an organization or individual is operating according to those values, and how managers can use values as the basis for all of their people decisions and drive superior performance as a result.

Jonne Ceserani "Big Ideas: Putting the Zest Into Creativity and Innovation at Work" Kogan Page | 2003-02-14 | ISBN: 0749438789 | 197 pages | PDF | 3,7 MB Innovation, creativity and change are the lifeblood of business but unlocking the innovative ability of an organization can be adifficult process.A recent survey (Synectics, 2002) reveals a gap between what leading corporations say about the importance of innovation and what they actually do about it. However, this survey finds that there is a consistent connection between a companys commitment to innovation and its success in the marketplace: * Sales increase in highly innovative companies was 10.8% vs. only 5.7% in least innovative * Profit increase in the most innovative companies was more than three times as great as in less innovative companies (51% vs. 14%) * Market share increase in the more innovative companies was more than twice the growth (59% vs. 27% increase) "Big Ideas" highlights pathways to creativity and shows how to establish conditions that lead to innovation and success. It is highly practical, and includes checklists, case studies and a "mind gym" questionnaire to establish the [ Italics]Innovation Quotient of an organization.

John Adair - Leadership for Innovation: How to Organize Team Creativity and Harvest Ideas Kogan Page | 2007 | ISBN: 0749448008 | Pages: 134 | PDF | 5.00 MB Innovate or stagnate: that is the stark challenge facing all businesses today. Creating an innovative climate is essential for positive organizational change, and this demands leaders who can bring about this change. John Adair looks at

the links between leadership, creativity, and change. He explores every aspect of this vital business topic in his classic style. This new book will help leaders of all types meet the challenges of innovation and achieve profitable growth through team creativity. Using case studies of Google, Honda, and 3M, Adair covers topics such as the characteristics of innovators, organizing for team creativity, expectations of creative people, creative leadership, managing the criticism of ideas, harvesting ideas, and overcoming resistance to change.