Martin Thomas

The way we do business has to change. One of the greatest weaknesses of many organisations is the delusion of being in control. The future is loose - loose organisations, loose management styles and loose ways of working. Author Martin Thomas describes how more open ways of thinking and operating are beginning to pervade even the largest and most complex institutions, from global corporations to government departments. There are limits to being loose, but freedom can exist within a framework. By building on cutting-edge case studies and conversations with the smartest business people from around the globe, LOOSE challenges received wisdom and explains new ways of managing companies, building brands, engaging with customer and marketing products and services. LOOSE will help you change you terms of business, before they are changed for you.

"This updated and revised version of a very popular and well received book provides a key quick reference work for students, and new and experienced practitioners. The succinct résumés of current issues and their implications for practice and policy help readers to get to grips with the wide range of key concepts and terms used in social work, social care, law and health services. This book is highly recommended for its wide-ranging set of summaries which are valuable in first encounters with, or updating of, knowledge in social work." Professor Brian Littlechild, Associate Head of School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Hertfordshire "This Dictionary of Social Work provides a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the terminology used in social work. The evidence based entries are cross-referenced and informed by up to date legislation. Very detailed and useful contextual information are included and the reader is directed to other sources of information. This dictionary is a must read for all social work students, practitioners and academics and should be included on all social work reading lists." Dr Frank Keating, Senior Lecturer In Health and Social Care, Royal Holloway University of London "I consider this to be an invaluable handbook of social work knowledge which is highly accessible, informative and concise. Many will be surprised by the content which exceeds expectation as it goes much further than a standard dictionary, offering understanding and initial analysis of a range of difficult concepts. This is a 'must have' reference text which social work students will carry with them throughout their degree studies. An essential instrument for navigating through the vast range of subject matter confronting social work students. One of few of its type, its features will ensure it remains a highly attractive acquisition." Martin Sheedy, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Social Work, Liverpool John Moores UniversityWith over 1500 entries, this popular dictionary provides concise and up to date explanations of the theories, approaches and terminology that define front-line social work and social care. These entries explain, in jargon-free language, how key concepts can be used to improve practice. Clear explanations outline significant developments such as Every Child Matters and the personalization of adult services. Entries are helpfully cross referenced and are evidence based. They reflect professional values and are written by specialists in the field, with a specific focus on the most recent legislation and policy guidance from government. This book is a key reference for students in further and higher education who are preparing for careers in social work, community care, residential care, child care, the probation service, counselling, and psychiatric nursing.

The French empire at war draws on original research in France and Britain to investigate the history of the divided French empire – the Vichy and the Free French empires – during the Second World War. What emerges is a fascinating story. While it is clear that both the Vichy and Free French colonial authorities were only rarely masters of their own destiny during the war, preservation of limited imperial control served them both in different ways. The Vichy government exploited the empire in an effort to withstand German-Italian pressure for concessions in metropolitan France and it was key to its claim to be more than the mouthpiece of a defeated nation. For Free France too, the empire acquired a political and symbolic importance which far outweighed its material significance to the Gaullist war effort. As the war progressed, the Vichy empire lost ground to that of the Free French, something which has often been attributed to the attraction of the Gaullist mystique and the spirit of resistance in the colonies. In this radical new interpretation, Thomas argues that it was neither of these. The course of the war itself, and the initiatives of the major combatant powers, played the greatest part in the rise of the Gaullist empire and the demise of Vichy colonial control.

By considering the distinctiveness of the inter-war years as a discrete period of colonial change, this book addresses several larger issues, such as tracing the origins of decolonization in the rise of colonial nationalism, and a re-assessment of the impact of inter-war colonial rebellions in Africa, Syria and Indochina. The book also connects French theories of colonial governance to the lived experience of colonial rule in a period scarred by war and economic dislocation.

Books on complex hedging instruments are often more confusing than the instruments themselvesHedging Instruments & Risk Management brings clarity to the topic, giving money managers the straightforward knowledge they need to employ hedging tools and techniques in four key markets—equity, currency, fixed income, and mortgage. Using real-world data and examples, this high-level book shows practitioners how to develop a common set of mathematical and statistical tools for hedging in various markets and then outlines several hedging strategies with the historical performance of each.

This book investigates the course of Anglo-French policy in Europe from 1936 to1938, a critical period during which France was governed by a series of Popular Front coalition Ministries. It asserts that French policy-makers made a substantial impact upon the course of British foreign policy whilst breathing new life into the waning Entente Cordiale. The study contends that close attention to the role of French influence is fundamental to a grasp of British appeasement and rearmament policy in the period and essential to the understanding of the Anglo-French response to such problems as the Spanish Civil War, the collapse of League of Nations authority and the treatment of the Soviet Union. Essential reading for students of British or French Political History or the origins of World War II in Europe

This book investigates the course of Anglo-French policy in Europe from 1936 to1938, a critical period during which France was governed by a series of Popular Front coalition Ministries. It asserts that French policy-makers made a substantial impact upon the course of British foreign policy whilst breathing new life into the waning Entente Cordiale. The study contends that close attention to the role of French influence is fundamental to a grasp of British appeasement and rearmament policy in the period and essential to the understanding of the Anglo-French response to such problems as the Spanish Civil War, the collapse of League of Nations authority and the treatment of the Soviet Union. Essential reading for students of British or French Political History or the origins of World War II in Europe