Based on a ten-year examination of control systems in over 50 U.S. businesses, this book broadens the definition of control and establishes a critical bridge between the disciplines of strategy and accounting and control. In addition to the more traditional diagnostic control systems, Simons identifies three new control systems that allow strategic change: belief systems that communicate core values and provide inspiration and direction, boundary systems that frame the strategic domain and...

To stay ahead of the pack, you must translate your organization's competitive strategy into the day-to-day actions carried out in your company. That means channeling resources into the right efforts, achieving the right balance between innovation and control, and getting everyone pulling in the same direction. How to keep all this on track?Identify critical gaps in your strategy execution processes, focus on the most important choices you must make, and understand what's at stake i...

The design of an organization--the accountability system that defines roles, rights, and responsibilities throughout the firm--has a direct impact on the performance of every employee. Yet, few leaders devote focused attention to how this design is chosen, implemented, and adjusted over time. Robert Simons argues that by viewing design as a powerful and proactive management lever--rather than an inevitable outcome of corporate evolution--leaders can maximize productivity across every level...

In Control in an Age of Empowerment, Robert Simons explains how to give employees the freedom to innovate while protecting your firm from loose cannons. Using powerful examples, Simons shows how to apply four powerful management "levers" to balance autonomy with control: Traditional diagnostic control systems, Belief systems, Boundary systems, and Interactive control systems. Used in concert, these four levers give you the control you need--without sacrificing the creative thinkin...

As we stand at the precipice of an era marked by unprecedented technological advancement, the emergence of superintelligent AI systems heralds both transformative opportunities and profound risks for the future of humanity. In "Superintelligence on the Horizon: Navigating the Future of AI Governance and Cybersecurity," Felipe Chavarro Polanía offers a comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration of the complex challenges and possibilities that lie ahead.With a keen eye for detai...

The subject of driverless and even ownerless cars has the potential to be the most disruptive technology for real estate, land use, and parking since the invention of the elevator. This book includes new research and economic analysis, plus a thorough review of the current literature to pose and attempt to answer a number of important questions about the effect that driverless vehicles may have on land use in the United States, especially on parking. Simons outlines the history of disrupti...

When evil wears a suit and tie, who will stand against it?In 1886, the Supreme Court declared corporations to be legal persons-immortal entities with rights but no soul. For the shadowy syndicate known as the Despicables, it became the perfect weapon.Malik Andrew Madison is a young lawyer who thought he married for love. But when his wife's powerful family reveals their true nature, he discovers he's entered a world where corporate law shields ancient evil,...

Java has quickly become one of the most important languages in programming, particularly for professional and enterprise-level projects. From its infancy as a language primarily used for web applets to its maturity through servlets, Enterprise JavaBeans, and database access, Java has become a complex and robust tool for today's developer.Hardcore Java takes this language and breaks it apart, piece by piece, revealing the important secrets and tricks that will take you from a junio...

What makes a demagogue? A much more friendly touch, or more importantly, a perception of a friendly touch, than has previously been explored. Demagogues, Power and Friendship in Classical Athens examines the ways in which a demagogic leadership style based on personal connection became ingrained in this period, drawing on close study of several genres of literature of the late 5th and early-to-mid 4th centuries BCE. Such connection was particularly effective with lower classes of ...

This introductory text to evidence-based practice provides nurses and other health professionals with a clear idea of why they should use research information as a basis for high-quality patient care and how they should use that information in the clinical setting. In a logical progression which helps the student build knowledge systematically the text looksat:*the rationale for evidence-based care*what research is and approaches to it*the benefits of research to clin...

This major new text provides an introduction to the interaction of culture and society with the landscape and environment. It offers a broad-based view of this theme by drawing upon the varied traditions of landscape interpretation, from the traditional cultural geography of scholars such as Carl Sauer to the 'new' cultural geography which has emerged in the 1990s. The book comprises three major, interwoven strands. First, fundamental factors such as environmental change and population pre...

In 2003, Methodists celebrated the 300th anniversary of the birth of their founder, John Wesley. Today, there are more than 300 Methodist denominations in 140 nations. Covering the activities of this group that plays an important role in the ecumenical movement through its many social and charitable activities in world affairs, this book offers more than 400 entries that describe important events, doctrines, and the church founders, leaders, and other prominent figures who have made notabl...