S. Taylor - Böcker

The increasing significance of the OECD in the development of national education policies has received much attention in recent years. Although it is recognised that certain international agencies such as the OECD as key "globalizing agencies", have acquired the capacity to "persuade" nation states towards certain policy priorities, little attention has been paid to making clear how these processes of persuasion may work. This volume investigates such processes, drawing on a study of the relationship between the OECD and educational policy directions in Australia. It investigates the link between three elements of education policy, the nation state, the OECD and globalization. These links are explored through case studies in higher education and vocational education and training policy developments, drawing on the Australian experience. The book also generates questions about educational purposes and decision making in the contemporary contexts which have wider applicability.

Taylor leads readers through creativity and how it relates to leadership followed by the five stages of theory behind the idea: 1) preparation, 2) time-off (or incubation), 3) the spark, 4) selection, and 5) elaboration.

Operational Research (OR) deals with the use of advanced analytical methods to support better decision-making. It is multidisciplinary with strong links to management science, decision science, computer science and many application areas such as engineering, manufacturing, commerce and healthcare. In the study of emergent behaviour in complex adaptive systems, Agent-based Modelling & Simulation (ABMS) is being used in many different domains such as healthcare, energy, evacuation, commerce, manufacturing and defense. This collection of articles presents a convenient introduction to ABMS with papers ranging from contemporary views to representative case studies. The OR Essentials series presents a unique cross-section of high quality research work fundamental to understanding contemporary issues and research across a range of Operational Research (OR) topics. It brings together some of the best research papers from the esteemed Operational Research Society and its associated journals, also published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Taylor leads readers through creativity and how it relates to leadership followed by the five stages of theory behind the idea: 1) preparation, 2) time-off (or incubation), 3) the spark, 4) selection, and 5) elaboration.