In "The Wicker Work Woman: A Chronicle of Our Own Times," Anatole France presents a richly woven narrative steeped in irony and social critique. Set against the backdrop of late 19th and early 20th century France, this novel explores themes of love, art, and societal transformation through the lens of a central character whose complexities reflect the tumult of modernity. France employs an elegant prose style, colored with satirical wit, creating a layered exploration of human relationship...

Anatole France's "The Elm-tree on the Mall" exemplifies the author's quintessential style, marked by a blend of wry humor and philosophical musings. Set in Paris during the late 19th century, the novella presents a vivid tableau of urban life intertwined with contemplative reflections on love, social dynamics, and the passage of time. France's elegant prose displays a rich tapestry of characters and an intricate narrative that engages deeply with themes of nostalgia and existential inquiry...

Lights on the trees. Gifts in the stocking. Blood in the snow.Eli Halversen never truly believed in Vinterblot, the ancient ritual his hometown holds dear. Each Christmas Eve, gifts are stuffed into the stocking that hangs from the gallows beam, a tradition meant to protect the town from the monsters that live in the mountains.But, this year, Eli breaks the rules. He takes back what was offered.And now, the snow is alive with bells and laughter, and...

Since 2007, South Africa has been one of the world's upcoming Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) offshore destinations. This book is based on the authors' most recent research into high performance BPO globally and new research streams specifically on South Africa.

A line-by-line commentary for those reading the Iliad for the first time—or for those who need a refresher course—based on Richmond Lattimore's translation.Those who are able to read Homer in Greek have ample recourse to commentaries, but the vast majority who read the Iliad in translation have not been so well served—the many available translations contain few, if any, notes. For these readers, Malcolm M. Willc...

This book is an indispensable guide for executives, programme leaders, and business owners on maximising value from automation and digital transformation. It provides a real-world journey map of automation, from RPA through to intelligent automation, with a focus on practical strategy and management principles intended to help seize the trillions of dollars that are still being left on the table by companies that have not yet made this leap.Though grounded on the research and advis...

A fascinating biography of veteran Marine Corps officer Colonel John W. Thomason, dedicated soldier and talented artist."On a spring morning in 1917, in fact the very day the United States declared war on Germany, a twenty-four-year-old Texan strode into the recruiting office of the Marine Corps branch of the Texas Naval Militia at Houston, and let it be known somewhat emphatically to authority there present that he desired to enlist. They assigned him to Company A, 1st Texas Battal...

A town steeped in tradition. A festival built on hope. A legend that refuses to die.Charli Clarke never wanted to visit Brackenholt, a secluded town in the middle of nowhere. She never wanted to spend a weekend picking pumpkins. She never wanted to leave the city behind.But her fiancé and twin brother had other ideas. They promised her countryside charm, crisp air, and a weekend of peace. What they got was something else entirely.The town is too qui...

"Few things are more satisfying in sci-fi with a literary bent than mingling high-brow cultural speculation with low-brow humor. [...] Readers who favor the sensual detail and daring brilliance of Brian Aldiss, Samuel R. Delany, Carol Emshwiller, George R.R. Martin, and Frank Herbert will find much to enjoy in this dazzling translation of a writer little known in North America."– William J. Grabowski, Library JournalThe world as we know it i...

The aim of this book is to investigate the discursive power of two original, theoretical lenses when applied to real outsourcing arrangements and phenomena. The Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) and Foucauldian perspectives are brought to bear on five outsourcing relationships in order to test the application of these discourses to rich qualitative data over the outsourcing contractual life-cycle. This will be the first study illustrating the relevance of Foucauldian concepts of governmenta...

The central concepts of information meaning, embodied cognition and semiotics are hugely relevant to contemporary organisations and personal and social lives. However, these concepts are not well understood and are frequently under-represented, misrepresented, and their importance seriously underplayed in the study of management. This is particularly noticeable in the study of the information systems and digital technologies that underpin so much of business operations, personal and social...

As the current global recession stubbornly persists and financial experts around the world struggle to prevent further financial collapse, everyone has a theory about how to save the economy. But perhaps no idea that has been proffered is as radical or as unique as what Hugo Loetscher imagines in his novel Noah. In this book, first published in German in 1967, the eponymous Old Testament hero fuels his local economy with a prescient plan to build the Ark. Though no one around him ...