Common misconceptions about Japan begin with the notion that it is a "small" country (it's actually lager than Great Britain, Germany or Italy) and end with pronouncements that the Japanese think differently and have different values-they do things differently because that's the way they are. Steven Reed takes on the task of demystifying Japanese culture and behavior. Through examples that are familiar to an American audience and his own personal encounters with the Japanese, he argues that the apparent oddity of Japanese behavior flows quite naturally from certain objective conditions that are different from those in the United States. Mystical allegations about national character are less useful for understanding a foreign culture than a close look at specific situations and conditions. Two aspects of the Japanese economy have particularly baffled Americans: that Japanese workers have "permanent employment" and that the Japanese government cooperates with big business. Reed explains these phenomena in common sense terms. He shows how they developed historically, why they continue, and why they helped produce economic growth. He concludes that these practices are not as different from what happens in the United States as they may appear.
In this book, Steven R. Reed argues that studying only central administrations and national-level politics yields a picture of greater rigidity than actually exists in modern governments. There is not a simple dichotomy between centralization and local autonomy: many different relationships between levels of government are possible. Reed illustrates his point in nine detailed case studies in which he analyzes the governments of three of Japan's forty-seven prefectures. Reed interviews over one-hundred officials to reveal the innovative policymaking that exists at the local level.Reed compares how each prefecture addresses pollution control, public housing, and access to the best high school education, and concludes that despite some inefficiency in the system, the results are usually very good. Japan's prefectures are important sources of governmental flexibility and responsiveness.
Common misconceptions about Japan begin with the notion that it is a "small" country (it's actually lager than Great Britain, Germany or Italy) and end with pronouncements that the Japanese think differently and have different values-they do things differently because that's the way they are. Steven Reed takes on the task of demystifying Japanese culture and behavior. Through examples that are familiar to an American audience and his own personal encounters with the Japanese, he argues that the apparent oddity of Japanese behavior flows quite naturally from certain objective conditions that are different from those in the United States. Mystical allegations about national character are less useful for understanding a foreign culture than a close look at specific situations and conditions. Two aspects of the Japanese economy have particularly baffled Americans: that Japanese workers have "permanent employment" and that the Japanese government cooperates with big business. Reed explains these phenomena in common sense terms. He shows how they developed historically, why they continue, and why they helped produce economic growth. He concludes that these practices are not as different from what happens in the United States as they may appear.
In this book, Steven R. Reed argues that studying only central administrations and national-level politics yields a picture of greater rigidity than actually exists in modern governments. There is not a simple dichotomy between centralization and local autonomy: many different relationships between levels of government are possible. Reed illustrates his point in nine detailed case studies in which he analyzes the governments of three of Japan's forty-seven prefectures. Reed interviews over one-hundred officials to reveal the innovative policymaking that exists at the local level.Reed compares how each prefecture addresses pollution control, public housing, and access to the best high school education, and concludes that despite some inefficiency in the system, the results are usually very good. Japan's prefectures are important sources of governmental flexibility and responsiveness.
Combining history with comparative politics, Matthew M. Carlson and Steven R. Reed take on political corruption and scandals, and the reforms designed to counter them, in post–World War II Japan. Political Corruption and Scandals in Japan makes sense of the scandals that have plagued Japanese politics for more than half a century and attempts to show how reforms have evolved to counter the problems. What causes political corruption to become more or less serious over time? they ask. The authors examine major political corruption scandals beginning with the early postwar period until the present day as one way to make sense of how the nature of corruption changes over time. They also consider bureaucratic corruption and scandals, violations of electoral law, sex scandals, and campaign finance regulations and scandals. In the end, Carlson and Reed write, though Japanese politics still experiences periodic scandals, the political reforms of 1994 have significantly reduced the levels of political corruption. The basic message is that reform can reduce corruption. The causes and consequences of political corruption in Japan, they suggest, are much like those in other consolidated democracies.
The World In Your Head: A Gestalt View of the Mechanism of Conscious Experience represents a bold assault on one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in science: the nature of consciousness and the human mind. Rather than examining the brain and nervous system to see what they tell us about the mind, this book begins with an examination of conscious experience to see what it can tell us about the brain. Through this analysis, the first and most obvious observation is that consciousness appears as a volumetric spatial void, containing colored objects and surfaces. This reveals that the representation in the brain takes the form of an explicit volumetric spatial model of external reality. Therefore, the world we see around us is not the real world itself, but merely a miniature virtual-reality replica of that world in an internal representation. In fact, the phenomena of dreams and hallucinations clearly demonstrate the capacity of the brain to construct complete virtual worlds even in the absence of sensory input. Perception is somewhat like a guided hallucination, based on sensory stimulation. This insight allows us to examine the world of visual experience not as scientists exploring the external world, but as perceptual scientists examining a rich and complex internal representation. This unique approach to investigating mental function has implications in a wide variety of related fields, including the nature of language and abstract thought, and motor control and behavior. It also has implications to the world of music, art, and dance, showing how the patterns of regularity and periodicity in space and time--apparent in those aesthetic domains--reflect the periodic basis set of the underlying harmonic resonance representation in the brain.
There has been a recent explosion of knowledge in the field of respiratory genetics. This authoritative text brings together current knowledge in respiratory genetics in a single volume. The book includes a comprehensive introductory section to provide guidance and aid understanding of key basic concepts in respiratory genetics, including statistic
Comprehensive and lavishly illustrated, McKee’s Pathology of the Skin, 5th Edition, is your reference of choice for up-to-date, authoritative information on dermatopathology. You’ll find clinical guidance from internationally renowned experts along with details on etiology, pathogenesis, histopathology, and differential diagnosis – making this unique reference unparalleled in its wealth of clinical and histopathological material. The 5th Edition of this classic text is a must-have resource for practicing dermatopathologists and general pathologists who sign out skin biopsies. Covers pathological aspects of skin diseases in addition to providing superb descriptions and illustrations of their clinical manifestations – the only available reference with this unique combination of features. Integrates dermatopathology, clinical correlations, and clinical photographs throughout, and features bulleted lists of clinical features and differential diagnosis tables for easy reference. Contains more than 5,000 superb histopathologic and clinical illustrations that demonstrate the range of histologic manifestations. Brings you fully up to date with key molecular aspects of disease, the capabilities and limitations of molecular diagnostics, and targeted/personalized medicine. Features up-to-date information on biologics, drug eruptions, and other developments in therapeutics. Helps you stay current with the latest diagnostic tumor markers and other new developments in immunohistochemistry. Includes a completely revised chapter on cutaneous lymphoma that reflects recent WHO-EORTC classification changes, as well as new coverage of sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma. Shares the knowledge of the main editor Dr. J. Eduardo Calonje, along with co-editors Thomas Brenn, and Alexander Lazar, and new co-editor Steven D. Billings who offers expertise on both dermatopathology and soft tissue tumors. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.
This annual selection guide covers new novels in the mystery fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, western fiction and romance genres. It is intended to help readers to choose titles of interest published during 1995. By identifying similarities in various books, it seeks to help readers to independently choose titles of interest published during 1995. Entries are arranged by author within six genre sections, and provide: publisher and publication date; series name and number; description of characters; time/geographical setting; review citation; genre and setting notations; and related books.
The Seventh Edition of Production and Operations Analysis builds a solid foundation for beginning students of production and operations management. Continuing a long tradition of excellence, Nahmias and Olsen bring decades of combined experience to craft the most clear and up-to-date resource available. The authors’ thorough updates include incorporation of current technology that improves the effectiveness of production processes, additional qualitative sections, and new material on service operations management and servicization. Bolstered by copious examples and problems, each chapter stands alone, allowing instructors to tailor the material to their specific needs. The text is essential reading for learning how to better analyze and improve on all facets of operations.
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