This book reconsiders the major current topics in the philosophy of perception using olfaction as the paradigm sense. The author reveals how many of the most basic concepts of philosophy of perception are based on peculiarities of visual perception not found in other modalities, and addresses how different the philosophy of perception would be if based on olfaction. The book addresses several aspects of olfaction, including perceptual qualities, percepts, olfaction and cognitive processes, and consciousness. The first part of the book considers perception with respect to its ability to guide behaviors and to make information available to cognitive processes. The author continues by addressing the differences between conscious and non-conscious olfactory perception, and presents an argument for an important role of attention in conscious processes. The book concludes by discussing the function of conscious brain processes and their link to guiding behaviors in complex situations.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting, grade: 1.3, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: This paper summarises in a short and concise manner the potential benefit of financial analysis to a prospective investor. The company ADVANCED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS GROUP PLC (AMS) was chosen at random - figures used are from the group as a whole. In section (i.), I will measure the companies past performances related to Financial Statements (F/S) and identify its strengths and weaknesses associated with this information. In section (ii.), I will comment on the limitation and usefulness of ROCE vs. EVA & MVA.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1.7, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: This paper discusses the potential benefit and strategic importance of an acquisition recommended for ADMECO AG, a small business operation, within the context of MSIE1. Since this is dealt with here briefly and concisely, the issues tackled do not cover the contrast between pre-acquisition motives and post-acquisition behaviour, or the subtle process of sound integration.

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Politics - Topic: International Organisations, grade: 1,0, LMU Munich (Geschwister-Scholl-Institut für politische Wissenschaften), language: English, abstract: Regularly, the International Finance Institutions (the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund)are critized harshly by Latin American leaders - Venezuela's Hugo Chávez even called them a “curse” for Latin America, and condemned its "shock politics that have spread hunger, misery, poverty and violence to our peoples." The “Banco del Sur”, a new development bank recently founded by Venezuela and six other Latin American countries, is seen as an answer to the IMF and the World Bank. Criticism like this is common in Latin America. Some points are quite understandable: In the International Monetary Fund, which is responsible for monitoring the global financial system, the United States de facto has a veto power. Other Western industrial nations make up for the majority of the vote. The same applies to the World Bank whose president always is appointed by the President of the United States. It is hard not to suspect US political interests behind this appointment: Two World Bank presidents – Robert McNamara and Paul Wolfowitz – came from the US Department of Defense, where they were responsible for leading controversial wars like Vietnam or Iraq. These criticisms are well-known. This paper thus concentrates on the actual work of the International Finance Institutions in Latin America, the implementation of their policies and how they affected the subcontinent. Their influence is enormous: some hold the IMF and the World Bank responsible for severe crises that nearly lead to collapses of nations and for the ongoing underdevelopment of Latin America. Indirectly they are also blamed for the current enormous resurgence of leftist movements, which all declared the International Finance Institutions one of their main enemies. As the measures of the IMF and the World Bank are intertwined, they will be depicted together. First, the conceptual framework of the IMF, the World Bank and the “Washington Consensus” will be presented, followed by a short summary of Latin American economic history from the 1950s to the 1990s. Then the different measures of the structural adjustment package of the Bretton Wodds Institutions, their impact (illustrated by different country examples) and outcomes will be discussed in detail. Finally this paper will give attention to the “Banco del Sur”, a development bank very recently founded by seven Latin American nations that should make these countries independent from perceived Western influence through the IMF and the World Bank.

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2003 im Fachbereich BWL - Marketing, Unternehmenskommunikation, CRM, Marktforschung, Social Media, Note: 1.8, University of Strathclyde, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: This paper describes the potential benefit of decision analysis, a process helping decision makers to gain a deeper understanding of their complex issues they face. Especially in the world of corporate business many decisions are complicated and need to consider a wide range of criteria and issues. Multiple Attribute Value Analysis (MAVA) addresses the issues of problem structuring as a useful support for decision making in practice, and for this purpose I will use V.I.S.A1 software to document and structure the decision making process. This paper is divided into three chapters/tasks. - Chapter 1: Reports on an investigation into ADMECO's strategic decision making process - Chapter 2: Reflections on the use of Multiple Attribute Value Theory (MAVT) - Chapter 3: A descriptive analysis of a case study: Giving up the smoke: A major institution investigates alternatives to being sited in the city

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Information Management, grade: 1.1, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: The world of business has emerged from the industrial age into an information economy and transitioning further into a digital world, a "knowledge society" with information technology (IT1) as driving force behind it. In the past years, the relentless advances of IT in the world of business has been influenced by changing the ways in which corporation execute their daily operations, perform in markets and design their products. Many organisations are faced today with increased competition at a higher performance level driven by globalisation. This is supported by Ward&Peppard (2001i) who states that everyone's working life and personal environment has been influenced by IT and is becoming an increased integral component. E-commerce and e-business are no longer buzzwords, they have infiltrated our homes via TV advertisement and Internet. IT is an important factor for today's organisations, which are forced to continuously re-profile themselves, changing functional hierarchies, and subsequently adapt to a very changing market conditions, effectively and efficiently. Organisation need to quickly and constant respond to customer's needs and competitive pressure, with IT enabled services, products and distribution channels (Mutsaers, Zee, Giertz,1998ii). The continuous rapid improvement in IT is having a profound impact on competitors and competitive advantage of an organisation. There is a number of ways of looking at it, however the question here is not, if a company should make use of IT or not. It's rather, how IT is implemented and subsequent adopted throughout an organisation, which ultimately confers competitive advantage. Every human endeavour in the world of business is influenced by IT, which is reaching across all lines of business globally.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1.4, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: Leadership as a topic has been extensive studied around the world, yet the terms of reference remain vague. It is easier to define effective, since the dictionary1 definition is clear: producing a strong impression or response. Different authors have offered a whole range of definitions and opinions on what constitutes leadership. Leadership can be defined as the key dynamic force that motivates and co-ordinates the organisation in the accomplishment of its objectives (Dubrin,1997i). It is not so much a science but more an art that influences by example or persuasion to induce action. The executive has to be effective although “to effect” and “to execute” imply something different (Drucker,1993ii). In general, executives are highly intelligent individuals but it seems there is little correlation between a leader’s intelligence and his/her effectiveness, as Drucker points out. Generally, overall success can be measured in terms of productivity plus the realization of organizational goals, while the profitability of corporations is typically weighted in money earned. Dedicated, skilled and knowledgeable employees combined with a management team that understands how to inspire competent and motivated performance is geared for success by generating synergy in a continually changing workplace. In addition, a socially responsible management is considered an investment directly impacting the motivation and productivity of the workforce. The leadership quality is responsible for maintaining and creating a supportive workplace environment through fair compensation, proactive management and ethically responsible policies. However, on a lower level, leaders/executives are generally expected to be effective in their execution of their tasks although this should not be taken for granted.

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Economics - Job market economics, grade: 1.6, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: The literature1 describes the process of change management as tools and techniques to manage individuals and the related HR issues effectively, when implementing organisational change or to remake the companies into better competitors (Kotteri,1998, p.1). One example that springs to mind is the reference to Weiss (2001, p.27), referring to the three perspectives on change. My personnel experience has shown there is no organization, small or large, global or local, that is immune to change. In order to manage demographic and competitive forces with the latest technological, every organization across the board, in all market segments, is attempting to fundamentally alter the way they do business. According to a study conducted by Weiss (2001, pp23-29ii), only a small percentage of these efforts actually result in realizing their aims. Transformational change strategies often fall short of their goal - as this case study confirms too - because the organisation itself does not change the way it behaves. Yet change remains acknowledged as a key factor in management, as has been underlined by Executive Online Group research2 (2002) revealing that among 100 UK companies employing >=500 people, 35% of the work of all directors is devoted to change, with a total of 79% major initiatives recorded as M&A's, down-sizing and corporate restructures. The study further assumes that the time spent on these tasks is likely to increase over the years.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1.7, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: This paper discusses the potential benefit and strategic importance of an acquisition recommended for ADMECO AG, a small business operation, within the context of MSIE1. Since this is dealt with here briefly and concisely, the issues tackled do not cover the contrast between pre-acquisition motives and post-acquisition behaviour, or the subtle process of sound integration.

Master's Thesis from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1.0, University of Strathclyde, language: English, abstract: The process of M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) represents a predominate form of expansion, growth and internationalisation. In the past, M&A research into the strategic fit producing optimal synergies between two corporations has largely focused on the financial, legal and economic aspects of any prospective deal. Only since the increased awareness of a nearly fifty percent failure ratei has there also been growing consciousness of HR’s significance in this equation, together with the cultural aspects of integration strategies, and the cultural factors for globalisation – in other words, the cultural fit! In global terms, there is increasing acknowledgement and awareness of intellectual capital as a core economic resource, rating the significance of a company’s sum of human capital and intellectual property on a par with physical assets such as equipment, plant and inventories. Empirical evidence suggests that the management of cultural and human factors in a M&A implementation is crucial for smooth integration and overall positive outcome. The project work discusses, investigates, and reports on research into the essentials of human resource due diligence and its cultural aspects in a cross-border integration. It focuses on human resource management and cultural integration during a M&A phase. It also points out specific findings on integration using and intensive HR due diligence approach. The issues of discussions are based on a wide range of literature supported by findings of empirical studies published internationally and the M&A knowledge of the management staff . The project intends to tackle the contrast between pre-acquisition motives and post-acquisition behaviour, and the subtle process of sound integration in terms of HR due diligence in general cross-border M&A. The work will touch on the measurement approaches of the field of human resource accounting (HRA), specifically the stochastic rewards valuation model for M&A, as a tools for the measurement of the value of the ROI on human capital. The discussion on cultural integration includes cultural fit, cultural change and management across national cultures in mergers and acquisitions. Addressing these issues is designed to provide further insights for the two companies in question into the significance of HR due diligence in the run-up to any possible merger or an acquisition of ADMECO AG.