"This kit will provide the reader with a systematic and readable approach to the design, implementation, and analysis of focus group data. The material is presented to help the novice learn how to actually conduct a focus group while at the same time enables those more experienced with focus groups to check their own performance against best practice. These materials will be the benchmark against which the practice of focus groups should be judged."

This undergraduate textbook challenges social workers accustomed to working with individuals and families to expand their efforts at generating change at the community and organizational level. The third edition adds a final chapter on strategies for implementing a planned change intervention. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Dietrich JungFocusing on the political economy of so-called new wars, this book presents a series of studies that analyse the complexities of current warfare by moving from the global sphere to local spots of organised violence. It thus raises questions about the very idea of intra-state wars and shows that these wars are inseparably linked to the global economy and the world political order.

The last few years have been a watershed for the commodities, cash and derivatives industry. New regulations and products have led to an explosion in the commodities markets, creating a new asset for investors that includes hedge funds as well as University endowments, and has resulted in a spectacular growth in spot and derivative trading. This book covers hard and soft commodities (energy, agriculture and metals) and analyses: Economic and geopolitical issues in commodities markets Commodity price and volume risk Stochastic modelling of commodity spot prices and forward curves Real options valuation and hedging of physical assets in the energy industry It is required reading for energy companies and utilities practitioners, commodity cash and derivatives traders in investment banks, the Agrifood business, Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) and Hedge Funds. In Commodities and Commodity Derivatives, Helyette Geman shows her powerful command of the subject by combining a rigorous development of its mathematical modelling with a compact institutional presentation of the arcane characteristics of commodities that makes the complex analysis of commodities derivative securities accessible to both the academic and practitioner who wants a deep foundation and a breadth of different market applications. It is destined to be a must have on the subject. Robert Merton, Professor, Harvard Business School A marvelously comprehensive book of interest to academics and practitioners alike, by one of the worlds foremost experts in the field. Oldrich Vasicek, founder, KMV Summary: Readable and Thorough Introduction Rating: 5 Two aspects of Prof. Gemans book are immediately distinguishing: it is quantitative and it is not propaganda. You wont read about how you can make millions trading commodities NOW! in this book; you will read about some of the quirks of these markets and how