Stuart Macdonald – författare

Information is not taken seriously. Much is said about the information age, the information economy, the information society, and particularly about information technology, but little about information itself. If these are important, then so is information. But information is not as other goods: it has some peculiar characteristics. It cannot be displayed for sale without giving it away in the process. Sold, it goes to the buyer but still remains with the seller. Buying entails expressing demand in ignorance for buyers who do not know just what it is that they do not know. Such characteristics have long been recognised by economists, but it is not generally economists who have most to say about the importance of information. This privilege is exercised by senior managers, who speak passionately about knowledge-based, learning organizations; by politicians and public servants, anxious to compensate with policy and programme for the information failure of organization and market; and by specialists in telecommunications and information technology, bent on adding value to what they treat as just a commodity. All are particularly enthusiastic about the innovation which springs from information.Information usually requires new information. Finding, acquiring, and mixing this new information with that already in use presents problems, not least because complex information transactions are required rather than simple information transfer. Solutions can be devised, but only by accommodating the characteristics of information. This book contrasts the way innovation is normally regarded in a variety of areas from eighteenth-century agriculture to high technology, from technology transfer to industrial espionage, from corporate strategy to patents and independent inventors with how it appears from what is termed an 'information perspective', that is one that puts information first. The results are intriguing, suggesting that radically different approaches to innovation (and organization) should be considered.

Information is not taken seriously. Much is said about the information age, the information economy, the information society, and particularly about information technology, but little about information itself. Information is not as other good: it has some very odd characteristics, conveniently overlooked by senior managers passionate about knowledge-based, learning organizations; by politicians and public servants, compensating with policy and programme for the information failure of organizationa and market; and by the IT and dotcom communities, bent on adding value to what they treat as just a commodity.This book looks at innovation from an information perspective; one that puts information first. Its information perspective is applied to eighteenth-century agriculture and high technology, to technology transfer and espionage, to corporate strategy and intellectual property. The results are intriguing.

In 1945 the Presbyterian Church was one of Canada's largest and most culturally influential churches. This impressive standing, in the aftermath of a depression and a global war and just twenty years after much of its membership had departed to form the United Church of Canada, was a mark of the Presbyterian Church's resilience and resourcefulness. Yet the denomination's greatest challenges lay in the decades that followed.Tradition and Tension explores the history of the Presbyterian Church in Canada from 1945 to 1985. In the first half of this period, the church vigorously built new congregations in the suburbs, revitalized existing congregations, and took part in the religious revival of the 1950s. It opened its doors to new ethnic communities, updated its forms of worship, and revised its structures to permit the ordination of women. These renewal efforts were not without controversy within the church, however. Amid the cultural aftershocks of the 1960s, and as membership growth stalled, arguments about who was responsible for the church's waning influence widened the rift between modernizers and traditionalists. Their common vision was lost.The place of religion in Canadian society changed dramatically in the postwar period. Tradition and Tension examines how the Presbyterian Church consciously sought to reflect these changes – and how it was transformed and even overwhelmed by them.

Islamic State’s Online Activity and Responses provides a unique examination of Islamic State’s online activity at the peak of its "golden age" between 2014 and 2017 and evaluates some of the principal responses to this phenomenon. Featuring contributions from experts across a range of disciplines, the volume examines a variety of aspects of IS’s online activity, including their strategic objectives, the content and nature of their magazines and videos, and their online targeting of females and depiction of children. It also details and analyses responses to IS’s online activity – from content moderation and account suspensions to informal counter-messaging and disrupting terrorist financing – and explores the possible impact of technological developments, such as decentralised and peer-to-peer networks, going forward. Platforms discussed include dedicated jihadi forums, major social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and newer services, including Twister. Islamic State’s Online Activity and Responses is essential reading for researchers, students, policymakers, and all those interested in the contemporary challenges posed by online terrorist propaganda and radicalisation. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.

This book investigates the intersection of terrorism, digital technologies and cyberspace. The evolving field of cyber-terrorism research is dominated by single-perspective, technological, political, or sociological texts. In contrast, Terrorism Online uses a multi-disciplinary framework to provide a broader introduction to debates and developments that have largely been conducted in isolation. Drawing together key academics from a range of disciplinary fields, including Computer Science, Engineering, Social Psychology, International Relations, Law and Politics, the volume focuses on three broad themes: 1) how – and why – do terrorists engage with the Internet, digital technologies and cyberspace?; 2) what threat do these various activities pose, and to whom?; 3) how might these activities be prevented, deterred or addressed? Exploring these themes, the book engages with a range of contemporary case studies and different forms of terrorism: from lone-actor terrorists and protest activities associated with ‘hacktivist’ groups to state-based terrorism. Through the book’s engagement with questions of law, politics, technology and beyond, the volume offers a holistic approach to cyberterrorism which provides a unique and invaluable contribution to this subject matter. This book will be of great interest to students of cybersecurity, security studies, terrorism and International Relations.

Semiconductor electronics is the major technology of our age. Its achievement and potential are vast, its application and influence ubiquitous, its social and economic consequences uncertain. Semiconductor electronics has become the vehicle for nearly all technological change and, consequently, the subject of much discussion. This revised and up dated edition is offered as a basic contribution to that vital discussion by authors who have long studied the process of technological change and who are familiar with the peculiarities of the semiconductor industry. Although it dealt with a highly technical subject, the first edition proved readily intelligible to a wide audience. The second edition is designed for that same group - those who seek an understanding of the processes at the heart of technological change.

Canadians were once church-goers. During the post-war boom of the 1950s, Canadian churches were vibrant institutions, with attendance rates even higher than in the United States, but the following decade witnessed emptying pews. What happened? In Leaving Christianity Brian Clarke and Stuart Macdonald quantitatively map the nature and extent of Canadians' disengagement with organized religion and assess the implications for Canadian society and its religious institutions. Drawing on a wide array of national and denominational statistics, they illustrate how the exodus that began with disaffected baby boomers and their parents has become so widespread that religiously unaffiliated Canadians are now the new majority. While the old mainstream Protestant churches have been the hardest hit, the Roman Catholic Church has also experienced a significant decline in numbers, especially in Quebec. Canada's civil society has historically depended on church members for support, and a massive drift away from churches has profound implications for its future. Leaving Christianity documents the true extent of the decline, the timing of it, and the reasons for this major cultural shift.

Islamic State’s Online Activity and Responses provides a unique examination of Islamic State’s online activity at the peak of its "golden age" between 2014 and 2017 and evaluates some of the principal responses to this phenomenon. Featuring contributions from experts across a range of disciplines, the volume examines a variety of aspects of IS’s online activity, including their strategic objectives, the content and nature of their magazines and videos, and their online targeting of females and depiction of children. It also details and analyses responses to IS’s online activity – from content moderation and account suspensions to informal counter-messaging and disrupting terrorist financing – and explores the possible impact of technological developments, such as decentralised and peer-to-peer networks, going forward. Platforms discussed include dedicated jihadi forums, major social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and newer services, including Twister. Islamic State’s Online Activity and Responses is essential reading for researchers, students, policymakers, and all those interested in the contemporary challenges posed by online terrorist propaganda and radicalisation. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.

This new Handbook is the first reference work to offer an overview of the problem of online violent extremism and possible solutions to this.The volume provides the reader with perspectives from the emerging multidisciplinary sub-discipline of online violent extremism studies, combining historical context with contemporary case studies. Each chapter demonstrates, through its own lens and subject matter, how the myriads of digital platforms and their affordances, digital infrastructures, and the regulatory environment that sits behind them, continue to shape violent extremism. Written by leading international experts and up-and-coming scholars, the 40 chapters are divided into four thematic sections: Part I, ‘Online Violent Extremism and Regulatory Responses’, begins by providing a conceptual overview of ‘online terrorism’ and ‘online extremism’, examining how the terms terrorism and extremism have been defined and interpreted in the online realm. Part II, ‘Research Design, Methodologies and Ethics’, provides theoretical and practical insights into conducting research in this area. Part III, ‘Online Violent Extremism’, provides an overview of the important platforms, online spaces, and emerging technologies in the field. Finally, Part IV, ‘Ideologies and Actors’, considers historical and contemporarily prominent ideologies, groups, movements, actors, and gender-related issues, examining how they have utilised online spaces and digital technologies.This handbook will be of much interest to students of violent extremism, terrorism studies, criminology, security studies, and others, as well as policymakers, law enforcement and practitioners.

This compelling book provides a comprehensive overview of cultural diplomacy, examining history, theory, practice and real world examples from an array of spheres and institutions. Leading scholars and practitioners discuss the role of culture within international affairs, exploring how it can be used as a channel for addressing foreign policy issues.Organised into three parts, each of which investigate a different area of concern, chapters outline key theoretical approaches and historical developments, identify the mechanisms and practices through which cultural diplomacy is enacted and reflect on critical contemporary challenges. The book showcases case studies on a range of topics, including Australian sports diplomacy in the Pacific, cultural relations at the Venice Biennale and K-pop as a vehicle of Korean museum diplomacy. It further sheds light on crucial concepts such as ‘nation brand’ and ‘soft power’. Featuring expert contributors from across the globe, this definitive volume presents diverse insights into the rapidly evolving field of cultural diplomacy and relations.Scholars and students of international relations, political science and public policy will greatly benefit from this illuminating book. With a broad scope covering education, sport, arts and media, it is also a helpful resource for policymakers and practitioners working in NGOs and government institutions, as well as creative producers, artists and community leaders.

This book investigates the intersection of terrorism, digital technologies and cyberspace. The evolving field of cyber-terrorism research is dominated by single-perspective, technological, political, or sociological texts. In contrast, Terrorism Online uses a multi-disciplinary framework to provide a broader introduction to debates and developments that have largely been conducted in isolation. Drawing together key academics from a range of disciplinary fields, including Computer Science, Engineering, Social Psychology, International Relations, Law and Politics, the volume focuses on three broad themes: 1) how – and why – do terrorists engage with the Internet, digital technologies and cyberspace?; 2) what threat do these various activities pose, and to whom?; 3) how might these activities be prevented, deterred or addressed? Exploring these themes, the book engages with a range of contemporary case studies and different forms of terrorism: from lone-actor terrorists and protest activities associated with ‘hacktivist’ groups to state-based terrorism. Through the book’s engagement with questions of law, politics, technology and beyond, the volume offers a holistic approach to cyberterrorism which provides a unique and invaluable contribution to this subject matter. This book will be of great interest to students of cybersecurity, security studies, terrorism and International Relations.

This book explores the interface between terrorism and the internet and presents contemporary approaches to understanding violent extremism online.The volume focuses on four issues in particular: terrorist propaganda on the internet; radicalisation and the internet; counter campaigns and approaches to disrupting internet radicalisation; and approaches to researching and understanding the role of the internet in radicalisation. The book brings together expertise from a wide range of disciplines and geographical regions including Europe, the US, Canada and Australia. These contributions explore the various roles played by the Internet in radicalisation; the reasons why terroristic propaganda may or may not influence others to engage in violence; the role of political conflict in online radicalisation; and the future of research into terrorism and the internet. By covering this broad range of topics, the volume will make an important and timely addition to the current collections on a growing and international subject.This book will be of much interest to students and researchers of cyber-security, internet politics, terrorism studies, media and communications studies, and International Relations.

This book explores the interface between terrorism and the internet and presents contemporary approaches to understanding violent extremism online.The volume focuses on four issues in particular: terrorist propaganda on the internet; radicalisation and the internet; counter campaigns and approaches to disrupting internet radicalisation; and approaches to researching and understanding the role of the internet in radicalisation. The book brings together expertise from a wide range of disciplines and geographical regions including Europe, the US, Canada and Australia. These contributions explore the various roles played by the Internet in radicalisation; the reasons why terroristic propaganda may or may not influence others to engage in violence; the role of political conflict in online radicalisation; and the future of research into terrorism and the internet. By covering this broad range of topics, the volume will make an important and timely addition to the current collections on a growing and international subject.This book will be of much interest to students and researchers of cyber-security, internet politics, terrorism studies, media and communications studies, and International Relations.

This package includes a physical copy of TCM Criminal Law, 1/e by MacDonald as well as access to the eText and MyLawChamber.

 

Text, Cases and Materials on Criminal Law combines detailed commentary and analysis of the law with excerpts from a range of sources, both legal and non-legal, to help set the law in context and deepen your understanding of this core area of legal study.

 

MyLawChamber is a complete online teaching and learning platform designed to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts, and by providing educators with a robust set of tools for easily gauging and addressing the performance of students.

MyLawChamber engages students with high-quality multimedia learning experiences that help law students excel. In every exercise, students receive immediate feedback so they see mistakes right away, learn precisely which concepts are holding them back, and master concepts through targeted practice.

Case Navigator (in conjunction with LexisNexis), a tool to help improve students’ case reading and comprehension skills. Virtual Lawyer, an interactive scenario-based programme to help students apply their knowledge of the law to problem questions. Pearson eText, a fully-searchable electronic version of your chosen text which you can customise, annotate, highlight and bookmark. Test banks of multiple-choice-questions providing formative assessment.

For educators, MyLawChamber provides highly-visual data and performance analysis to help them quickly identify gaps in student learning. And because MyLawChamber comes from Pearson, you know it’s developed by an experienced partner committed to providing content, resources, and expertise for the best digital learning experiences.

 

Text, Cases and Materials on Criminal Law offers a thought-provoking, engaging and comprehensive account of criminal law and its underpinning principles and policies. It includes a range of carefully selected extracts to help you get used to reading court judgments, legislation, official reports and academic writings. Dedicated questions also help you to analyse each extract and develop your critical thinking skills.

 

A range of features, specifically designed to help make your reading as interesting and active as possible, are also available within each chapter including:

 

·    Chapter objectives at the start of each chapter, and checklists at the end, so that you know exactly what you need to achieve and are able to assess your progress;

 

·    Practical activities, so you can develop your legal skills by practising applying what you have learnt to scenario-based problems;

 

·    Self-test questions, which consolidate your understanding by providing an opportunity to apply the material you have studied;

 

·    Further reading lists, to enable you to explore key issues in greater depth.

 

This new edition has been fully updated with all major legal developments in the area, including R v Jogee [2016] UKSC 8 and R v Johnson [2016] EWCA Crim 1613 on joint enterprise and the Law Commission’s scoping report on non-fatal offences against the person.

 

Stuart Macdonald is Professor of Law at Swansea University. He has taught criminal law for over 15 years and has published widely on criminal justice issues, particularly the regulation of anti-social behaviour and counterterrorism legislation and policy.

Build your understanding and confidence in the key concepts surrounding Criminal Law via the practical applications and assessments

Criminal Law,  3rd edition, supports Undergraduates in learning and applying criminal law to problem scenarios, thereby helping you develop your critical skills and evaluate the law’s effect in today’s socio-economic context.

Renowned for its student-friendly approach and excellent coverage of practical cases and articles, this updated digital edition will give you a clear overview of the law and is a must-read if you are studying the LLB or GDL/SQE1.

Key Features:

Case and Chapter summaries explain key aspects of each topic. End-of-chapter 'Apply the Law' exercises encourage you to check your understanding of the topics and apply what you have learned in a case scenario. Real life case files allow you to think like a lawyer and write client advice based on evidence. Fully updated with recent examples on law cases demonstrate how theory applies to real life.

Cyberterrorism

This is the first book to present a multidisciplinary approach to cyberterrorism. It traces the threat posed by cyberterrorism today, with chapters discussing possible technological vulnerabilities, potential motivations to engage in cyberterrorism, and the challenges of distinguishing this from other cyber threats. The book also addresses the range of potential responses to this threat by exploring policy and legislative frameworks as well as a diversity of techniques for deterring or countering terrorism in cyber environments. The case studies throughout the book are global in scope and include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.With contributions from distinguished experts with backgrounds including international relations, law, engineering, computer science, public policy and politics, Cyberterrorism: Understanding, Assessment and Response offers a cutting edge analysis of contemporary debate on, and issues surrounding, cyberterrorism. This global scope and diversity of perspectives ensure it is of great interest to academics, students, practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders with an interest in cyber security.

This book offers the first sustained investigation into non-elite understandings of radicalisation and counter-radicalisation policy. Drawing on original focus group research with students from universities across England and Wales, the book explores how ‘ordinary’ citizens understand radicalisation, how they make sense of counter-radicalisation initiatives like the UK Prevent Strategy, and how they evaluate its functioning and effects across society. Radicalisation, counter-radicalisation and Prevent demonstrates that these non-elite insights often contradict and diverge from traditional (elite) security knowledge and thus shed new light on wider questions around the politics of security. This has vitally important implications not only for counter-radicalisation and counter-terrorism policy but for the very study and practice of security.

This book offers the first sustained investigation into non-elite understandings of radicalisation and counter-radicalisation policy. Drawing on original focus group research with students from universities across England and Wales, the book explores how ‘ordinary’ citizens understand radicalisation, how they make sense of counter-radicalisation initiatives like the UK Prevent Strategy, and how they evaluate its functioning and effects across society. Radicalisation, counter-radicalisation and Prevent demonstrates that these non-elite insights often contradict and diverge from traditional (elite) security knowledge and thus shed new light on wider questions around the politics of security. This has vitally important implications not only for counter-radicalisation and counter-terrorism policy but for the very study and practice of security.

Whilst there are some studies of architecture in Scotland post-devolution, writings on design are largely non-existent. Designs on Democracy seeks to fill that gap and ranges over the debates concerning architecture, urbanism, design and the Creative and Cultural Industries and the policies, people and places that stimulate and animate them. The book also tells a story about Scotland's creatives -where they work and how their ideas and what they create and design contribute to Scotland's democratic culture and identity.