Books published by Common Ground Publishing

Legacy remains one of the most important issues relating to multisport mega-events across the globe and it could be argued that the development of legacy is one of the most urgent imperatives in elite sport. In this regard the Paralympics is no exception to the quest for long term legacy; however, little in the way of documentation appears to be forthcoming from the International Paralympic community in this regard. This book reviews the concept of legacy across previous Paralympic Games by providing a series of chapters under the headings of ''The Paralympic Legacy Debate'', ''Paralympic City Legacies'', ''Emerging Issues of Paralympic Legacy'' and ''Reconceptualising Paralympic Legacies''. The issues arising are discussed in terms of a meta-analysis of the author''s work and offer interesting ideas which if taken up by the International Paralympic Committee, International Olympic Committee, Bid Committees, OCOG''s and major sports could change the face of Paralympic legacy towards the positive forever.

Tony English wrote Tug of War for negotiation experts and others who might be interested in a fresh analytical method which draws on the literature of negotiation but delves into many other disciplines, including international relations, fine arts, philosophy, management, anthropology and psychology. The book focuses on international negotiation but is relevant to negotiation in general. Tony interviewed many veteran negotiators in diplomacy, hostage release and business. He weaves the rich character, skills and experience of individual veterans into the book, and presents two cases in fine detail.The informants include: Hugh Davies, lead British negotiator for the return of Hong Kong to China; Sir Alan Donald, British Ambassador to China and several other countries; Terry Waite, of Beirut kidnap fame; Meg McDonald, Australian Ambassador for the Environment and team leader for the greenhouse gas negotiations at Kyoto; Malcolm Lyon, Australia's lead negotiator for the Torres Strait Treaty with Papua New Guinea; Don Kenyon, Australian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, and former Chairman of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body; Doug Anderson, Managing Director of P & O Ports; Sam Passow, Research Director of London's Centre for Dispute Resolution; Geo Goon, a major exporter of fruit and vegetables from Australia to the Middle East; Steven Hochman and Kirk Wolcott, dispute resolution advisers to President Jimmy Carter; and a few others who needed anonymity. Tony also draws on his own experience in several countries. At the core of the book is the tension, which comprises complementary phenomena, both physical and abstract, that compete for influence over our behaviour. Profuse forces generate tensions. Tony presents a model of negotiation context that comprises tensions and the forces generating them. Expert negotiators are expert tension managers and therefore have high 'contextual intelligence', a variation on Robert Sternberg's concept of Successful Intelligence in cognitive psychology. Tony links contextual intelligence with seven traits identified in his veterans. Some writers refer to the tension but neglect its nuances and miss its generic value in analyzing negotiations and other human activity as people try to impose manageable order on chaotic information. We are all tension managers, whether or not we are aware of it.

...this time around success will need to be measured not by how much we can control nature but by how well we can live as part of it. Our efforts in the transition to a sustainable future require decisions that not only acknowledge the ecosphere, but embrace the complexity of our societies and the natural systems that support us. A vital part of this transition is communication. We need to map and communicate as clearly as possible the impacts of our current trajectory and provide a clear and comprehensive system for tracking the world''s progress towards sustainability... This book provides an introduction to input-output analysis for sustainability practitioners. It is designed for those with knowledge about the sustainability dilemma we face, but who are unsure about the how of measuring our impacts, tracking our progress and informing the decisions for a sustainable future. Input-output analysis placed in a transdisciplinary setting is a method that captures the complexities and interdependencies of our social, economic and environmental support systems. Examples of the use of input-output analysis in life-cycle assessment, triple bottom line accounting and carbon and ecological footprints are provided along with an introduction to a range of software tools. In academic circles research has been gathering pace on these methods and issues over the last years. This book brings this state of the art to the decision makers and policy shapers of today.

In the shadow of a looming global environmental catastrophe humanity is at an unprecedented crossroad where crucial and difficult decisions must be made about how we are to live. This book questions where the desire for certainty and mastery is taking us and argues that reliance on technology and information alone cannot avoid an ecological catastrophe. It attends to an existential poverty of spirit that, it suggests, is at the root of contemporary problems. It tackles the association between a metaphysical void, with its growing sense of meaninglessness, and the ecological predicament. While many find the consolations of traditional religion increasingly untenable, a hunger for a spiritual dimension in life persists. In a rare excursion, yet one which continues the uniquely human search for a transcendent ground of being, the book explores an unfamiliar kind of thinking which shelters and liberates the poetic imagination that counters the modern malaise. In a scholarly yet accessible account van Leeuwen uncovers from Martin Heidegger''s middle/late philosophy an extraordinary pathway of transformative thinking where this imagination is nurtured.

Research on brain development continues to reinforce the importance of the early years of life in determining long term outcomes, both for children, and for society. Increasing numbers of family support programs operating internationally reflect growing awareness of the importance of the early years, and the value of targeting resources towards children,families and their communities.This book argues that the family support movement, having evolved from a variety of discipline bases, is now sufficiently developed to articulate its own theoretical foundation and practice. Family support must operate from an ecological perspective, working from family strengths and focusing on empowerment. Different models of operating family support arising out of this theoretical framework are presented. The role of staff, and staff training are discussed, as is the importance of ethical program delivery andevaluation.The book synthesises the considerable literature on family support, and presents this in an easily accessible format, with particular relevance for those working in Australia and New Zealand. It is essential reading for both practitioners in family support, and policy makers responsible for designing and funding programs. The book will interest those from a range of disciplines involved in family support, including those in health, children's services, psychology, social work and education.

What is postmodern art and how does it impact on art teaching? For secondary art teachers the transition from modernist art education to postmodernist art education is a challenging journey. Modernism provided a rich source of inspiration for art teaching. Countless art teaching programs from the 1950s to the 1990s were based on the great western canon espousing individualism, creativity, self expression and formalist models of art criticism. However, postmodern theory directs attention away from the formalist properties of art works to the social conditions and structures which shape artistic values. Contemporary art works examine how societies construct power relations especially in respect of class, gender and culture and they often do this using devices such as irony, parody or shock. But are art teachers trained and ready to deal with such issues and how do they introduce them to students?The first section of this book examines the diff e rences between modernist and postmodernist art and art education. The issues are defined in nine key orientations which serve to guide art curriculum planning. In the next section of the book thirteen secondary art teachers from schools in Australia and England reflect on change in their own teaching. Each discusses how they introduce students to contemporary art practice and issues in their senior art classes.The final section of the book presents seven interpretive frameworks to guide students when exploring contemporary art. The interpretive frameworks lead students beyond use of modernist and formalist approaches to consideration of wider social issues when making and responding to art.

Sustainability and Sport is a synthesis of contemporary insights and expertise offered from a novel collection of thirty-four practitioners and academics in the field, who continue to play key roles in the expansion of sustainable solutions for major sport events, sport organizations and society. This seminal book details the most important insights from these experts in making sport more sustainable, and in using sport to promote sustainability. It is a guide for good practice within the sports industry, as well as a research and knowledge exchange guide for the burgeoning field of sport and sustainability. Industry pioneers, event managers, athletes, global sport event sponsors, academics, sport organizations, NGOs, international organizations, business strategists, event bid teams, technical consultants, and others working in this emerging discipline offer their perspectives to share and create knowledge. A significant section of the book is devoted to fostering sustainability at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, including perspectives on event management, sustainable development and urban regeneration, event legacies, corporate sponsorship activation, and maximizing engagement with sport event audiences.