Opportunities in social science careers

Sample

Margaret M. Pearson

Economic reforms in China have led to the creation of an entirely new social class: the business elite. Entrepreneurs in the foreign and private sectors have benefited tremendously from the new economic freedoms in China, but have they pushed for political reforms as well? To explore this question, Margaret Pearson conducted extensive interviews with Chinese-born managers of foreign-sector firms and researched the activities of private-sector entrepreneurs. She concludes that, contrary to the assumptions of many Westerners, these groups are not at the forefront of democratization or the emergence of a civil society. Rather, she argues, they are at the head of a new form of state-society relations in China, a hybrid of socialist corporatism and clientelism. Ultimately, she demonstrates that this hybrid pattern, which has deep roots in Chinese history, has been shaped by the Chinese state to ensure that economic development will not lead to democratization. As private enterprises mushroom, foreign investment soars, and the standard of living continues to improve in China, all eyes are watching for changes in the political structure. The insights and studied predictions in this book will be invaluable keys to understanding the emerging dimensions of China's social and political future.

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Margaret Heffernan

Redefining power and the nature of success for the 21st century. The numbers are staggering. Between 1997 and 2004, privately held, women-owned businesses grew at three times the rate of all American privately held firms; women's companies are creating jobs at twice the rate of all firms; women's companies are growing profits faster than all firms. Five-time CEO and contributor to Real Business and Fast Company Margaret Heffernan asks, Why are these women so successful?In How She Does It, Heffernan finds a striking congruence between the things that women excel at and the demands of the new economy. After interviewing hundreds of women running businesses of all sizes and in all markets, she discovers a few attributes that hold true across the board. Women have a tremendous need to achieve. Women don't feel they have a safety net or can turn back. They are smart about markets and timing. They practice diversity. They place values at the heart of their business and take culture very seriously. And women work from a different concept of power than men. The result is a unique style of leadership that challenges conventional wisdom: Soft skills are getting hard results. This is an inspiring workplace manifesto that reveals a new standard of excellence, a new way for any company to get from good to great that is fast becoming the new norm.

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Sandra E. Foster

Since it was first published ten years ago, You Can't Take It With You has been a trusted source of advice on estate planning, and it is more relevant today than ever. The Canadian population is aging, billions of assets are set to be transferred to the next generation over the coming decade, and estate planning is quickly becoming the single biggest financial planning issue of the next ten years for baby boomers and their parents. Estate planning is everybody's issue. If you don't plan for what happens to your money, your children, your house and other assets upon your death, the government will make those decisions for you. In these turbulent financial times, planning for the future is more important than ever, especially when it involves the financial security of those you love. Completely revised and updated in its fifth edition, this national bestseller continues to be the definitive resource on the financial, legal and human issues around estate planning. Covers all areas of estate planning: financial and tax planning, wills and powers of attorney, life insurance, guardianship of your children, trusts and living wills, and funeral planning, as well as new information on current legislation and emerging trends such as estate mediation, and much more. Prepares you for dealing with your financial adviser or lawyer--and may even help you to save hundreds of dollars in professional fees and taxes. Features practical examples, tips, and question-and-answer boxes.The EPUB format of this title may not be compatible for use on all handheld devices.

Sample

Ali Soofastaei

An intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) or intelligent personal assistant (IPA) is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual based on commands or questions. Improving the quality of artificial intelligence (AI) learning algorithms increases the application of IVAs in different areas. The capabilities and usage of IVAs are expanding rapidly. IVAs, such as Siri, Alexa, and chatbots, help individuals and companies to make better decisions. They learn from collected historical data, and the quality of their recommendations depends on the size of the database they are using. Modern technology has provided a huge capacity for data collection and storage. This means that the new generation of IVAs can help people much better than the previous one. This book examines the applications of IVAs in different areas and presents a clear vision of how this new technology can be used in current and future activities. Chapters cover such topics as the scientific development of VA technology, generating voices for IVAs, the ethics of using IVAs, and using IVAs in banking and finance.