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The Mantra of Efficiency. From Waterwheel to Social Control.
Jennifer Karns Alexander
€ 70.16
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Description for The Mantra of Efficiency. From Waterwheel to Social Control.
Six historical case studies-two from Britain, one each from France and Germany, and two from the United States-illustrate the concept's fascinating development and provide context for the meanings of, and uses for, efficiency today and in the future. Num Pages: 256 pages, 10, 8 black & white halftones, 2 black & white line drawings. BIC Classification: JFCX; PDX. Category: (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 229 x 152 x 21. Weight in Grams: 499.
Efficiency-associated with individual discipline, superior management, and increased profits or productivity-often counts as one of the highest virtues in Western culture. But what does it mean, exactly, to be efficient? How did this concept evolve from a means for evaluating simple machines to the mantra of progress and a prerequisite for success? In this provocative and ambitious study, Jennifer Karns Alexander explores the growing power of efficiency in the post-industrial West. Examining the ways the concept has appeared in modern history-from a benign measure of the thermal economy of a machine to its widespread application to personal behaviors like ... Read more
Efficiency-associated with individual discipline, superior management, and increased profits or productivity-often counts as one of the highest virtues in Western culture. But what does it mean, exactly, to be efficient? How did this concept evolve from a means for evaluating simple machines to the mantra of progress and a prerequisite for success? In this provocative and ambitious study, Jennifer Karns Alexander explores the growing power of efficiency in the post-industrial West. Examining the ways the concept has appeared in modern history-from a benign measure of the thermal economy of a machine to its widespread application to personal behaviors like ... Read more
Product Details
Publication date
2008
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press United States
Number of pages
256
Condition
New
Number of Pages
256
Format
Hardback
Place of Publication
Baltimore, MD, United States
ISBN
9780801886935
SKU
V9780801886935
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-16
About Jennifer Karns Alexander
Jennifer Karns Alexander is an associate professor in the Program in History of Science, Technology, and Medicine and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota.
Reviews for The Mantra of Efficiency. From Waterwheel to Social Control.
This concise, scholarly study will not only encourage reflective analysis of historical events but also offer insight into potential future applications and change... Recommended. Choice 2008 Alexander skillfully interprets a broad spectrum of sources spanning three centuries, three languages, and several academic disciplines. She packs a wealth of information into a slim and readable volume, carefully exploring the nuances of ... Read more