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By challenging more common analyses that point to the existence of a "post-conflict scenario" in Colombia and those that resist the narrative of "success", both of which operate within the logic of presence/absence of violence, this book proposes instead that we think of "post-conflict" in terms of the transformation of the rules on the use of violence. The analysis unfolds in two parts: the first explores the conditions of possibility of the Colombian ¿success story¿ and the web of criteria legitimizing the ¿success¿, as well as the silencing mechanisms allowing for Colombia to circulate internationally as a formula to be replicated in other parts of the world; the second, focuses on the historicization of the mechanisms through which new rules are transmitted among the professionals of the public force, specifically the transformations of military schools and training centers in Colombia from times of ¿war¿ to ¿peace¿. The author argues that key to this transformation is a unique discursive articulation around the ¿military professional¿ which slides from ¿citizen-soldier¿ to ¿expert-soldier¿.

Mergers & acquisitions are an essential instrument of strategic corporate management for companies of all sizes. The success of an M&A project highly depends on an optimal transaction preparation, fast execution and the experience of all parties involved. Due to numerous endogenous and exogenous influences, no two M&A transactions are alike at the detailed level.This book is designed as a practical M&A guide for students and professionals alike. In addition to dealing with important basics of mergers & acquisitions, the focus is on a structured and in-depth examination of the individual process steps of a typical company sale. At various points in this book, specific differences between a company sale of medium-sized companies (mid-caps) and large companies (large-caps) are discussed in detail.

This book provides a thorough overview of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and digital assets and their impact on the future of money and finance. It provides a 360-degree practical, concise, and engaging overview of all the topics that one interested about digital assets needs to know including how Bitcoin and Ethereum work, an overview of the most important digital assets in the market, and deep dives into the various types of digital assets including cryptocurrencies, stable coins, CBDCs, utility tokens, security tokens, NFTs, and many others. The book also covers all the essentials including DeFi, crypto mining, crypto regulations, crypto investors, crypto exchanges, and other ecosystem players as well as some of the latest global crypto trends from Web 3.0 and the Metaverse to DAOs and quantum computing. Written by a leading industry expert and thought leader who advises some of the leading organisations in the digital assets space globally, this book is ideal for anyone looking to acquire a solid foundational knowledge base of this fast-growing field and understand its potential impact on the future of money.

This book introduces the fundamentals of the theory of quantum computing, illustrated with code samples written in Q#, a quantum-specific programming language, and its related Quantum Development Kit. Quantum computing (QC) is a multidisciplinary field that sits at the intersection of quantum physics, quantum information theory, computer science and mathematics, and which may revolutionize the world of computing and software engineering. The book begins by covering historical aspects of quantum theory and quantum computing, as well as offers a gentle, algebra-based, introduction to quantum mechanics, specifically focusing on concepts essential for the field of quantum programming. Quantum state description, state evolution, quantum measurement and the Bell¿s theorem are among the topics covered. The readers also get a tour of the features of Q# and familiarize themselves with the QDK. Next, the core QC topics are discussed, complete with the necessary mathematical formalism. This includes the notions of qubit, quantum gates and quantum circuits. In addition to that, the book provides a detailed treatment of a series of important concepts from quantum information theory, in particular entanglement and the no-cloning theorem, followed by discussion about quantum key distribution and its various protocols. Finally, the canon of most important QC algorithms and algorithmic techniques is covered in-depth - from the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm, through Grover¿s search, to Quantum Fourier Transform, quantum phase estimation and Shor¿s algorithm. The book is an accessible introduction into the vibrant and fascinating field of quantum computing, offering a blend of academic diligence with pragmatism that is so central to software development world. All of the discussed theoretical aspects of QC are accompanied by runnable code examples, providing the reader with two different angles - mathematical and programmatic - of looking at the same problem space.

Fierce competition in many industries, megatrends, the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing globalisation and the permanent liberalisation of markets have changed the face of economies and businesses drastically. Companies must establish suitable and long-term strategies and performance criteria in order to survive in this dynamic and hostile environment. This book provides a holistic and practical approach to strategic performance management. It combines all functions of the value chain and contains best practices in performance. The author demonstrates how new paradigms enable companies to concentrate on value-adding activities and processes to achieve a long-term sustainable and competitive advantage. The book contains a variety of best practices, industry examples and case studies. Focusing on best-in-class examples, the book offers the ideal guide for any enterprise to achieve a competitive advantage across all business functions focusing on value-adding activities.

This textbook takes a theoretically informed and practice-based approach to strategic human resource management (HRM) and employment relations (ER). The book follows a unique pedagogical design employing problem-based learning and participant-centred learning approaches, both of which the author has extensive experience in implementing with advanced undergraduate HRM and post-graduate learners.This new edition includes chapters on artificial intelligence (AI) and HR, employee experience and engagement, managing HRM during crises, and eight new cases. In addition, this book includes an online instructors¿ manual for instructors.

This book shows why mindful leadership is the key element for supportive management and leadership in the 21st century. It highlights the fundamentals of mindful leadership in philosophy and history in different cultural traditions and shows latest research on mindfulness and digitalization, technology, social networking, and leading-self concepts. The book bridges the past and the future. By combining a range of research perspectives, it connects mindfulness to serving leadership concepts and describes resilience for both individuals and organizations. In addition, it presents theoretical aspects and practical recommendations on how to implement mindful leadership and supportive environments in organizational cultures. The book encompasses history, present leadership challenges and future management perspectives and enables the implementation of models of good practice into daily working life. It includes contributions from researchers of different continents, and offers an international overview of state-of-the art leadership research.This book is of interest to professionals and researchers working on leadership, from the perspective of positive psychology, organizational studies, and wellbeing studies.

Offering historical identity fortified by the presence of women belonging to the various areas of creative and intellectual life, this book allows readers to understand greater contexts of their identity. The history of female artists is an indicator of how social identity was erased from the historiography which asserted itself in nineteenth-century Europe. Analysis of the biographical pathways traced here reveals how women in the Middle Ages and beyond have been active protagonists of the arts, received reviews, as well as had an authoritative role as the esteemed and attentive witnesses of the society around them.Reconstruction of social relationships, intellectual and creative production as well as of the life stories of some of Europe's most important female artists, foregrounds this omission and highlights their extraordinary nature.The different stories contained in this book narrate the lives and works of Hildegard von Bingen, Francesca Caccini, Mary Wollstonecraft, George Sand, Lou Andreas Salomé and Elke Mascha Blankenburg.By reinforcing the awareness of social and historical origins, the informed reader is better equipped to tackle their futures and build up their personalities.

This book is a rare collection of reflective and reflexive stories that reveal how seasoned academics, agents of grassroots social change, leaders and journalists transformed and shaped the development landscape in eastern and southern Africa. Whereas practical experiences are crucial assets and resources for shaping the academic environment and development practice landscape, most of the existing literature recommended as key learning materials in tertiary institutions is rarely in synch with the practical realities of development practice.The shared individual lived experiences from academic endeavours and fieldwork provide hands-on tools for students and emerging practitioners who might be involved in or are currently facilitating development work. The thrust of the book, therefore, is to demystify the day-to-day experiences of development practitioners while contributing to learning pathways or strategies for achieving viable solutions to the myriad of challenges, which grassroots communities face. The relevance of the book as a crucial resource for students pursuing development-oriented degree programmes in colleges and universities is obvious. Without any doubt, the compilation will be handy in the implementation of diverse development-oriented transformation agenda at academic, programming and policy levels.