Business & Personal Finance - Books

From Economics Imperialism to Freakonomics

Is or has economics ever been the imperial social science? Could or should it ever be so? These are the central concerns of this book. It involves a critical reflection on the process of how economics became the way it is, in terms of a narrow and intolerant orthodoxy, that has, nonetheless, increasingly directed its attention to appropriating the subject matter of other social sciences through the process termed "economics imperialism". In other words, the book addresses the shifting boundaries between economics and the other social sciences as seen from the confines of the dismal science, with some reflection on the responses to the economic imperialists by other disciplines.Significantly, an old economics imperialism is identified of the "as if market" style most closely associated with Gary Becker, the public choice theory of Buchanan and Tullock and cliometrics. But this has given way to a more "revolutionary" form of economics imperialism associated with the information-theoretic economics of Akerlof and Stiglitz, and the new institutional economics of Coase, Wiliamson and North. Embracing one "new" field after another, economics imperialism reaches its most extreme version in the form of "freakonomics", the economic theory of everything on the basis of the most shallow principles.By way of contrast and as a guiding critical thread, a thorough review is offered of the appropriate principles underpinning political economy and its relationship to social science, and how these have been and continue to be deployed. The case is made for political economy with an interdisciplinary character, able to bridge the gap between economics and other social sciences, and draw upon and interrogate the nature of contemporary capitalism.

The Routledge Handbook of Global Cultural Policy

Business & Personal Finance

Cultural policy intersects with political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics at all levels of society, placing high and often contradictory expectations on the capabilities and capacities of the media, the fine, performing, and folk arts, and cultural heritage. These expectations are articulated, mobilised and contested at – and across – a global scale. As a result, the study of cultural policy has firmly established itself as a field that cuts across a range of academic disciplines, including sociology, cultural and media studies, economics, anthropology, area studies, languages, geography, and law. This Routledge Handbook of Global Cultural Policy sets out to broaden the field’s consideration to recognise the necessity for international and global perspectives.The book explores how cultural policy has become a global phenomenon. It brings together a diverse range of researchers whose work reveals how cultural policy expresses and realises common global concerns, dominant narratives, and geopolitical economic and social inequalities. The sections of the book address cultural policy’s relation to core academic disciplines and core questions, of regulations, rights, development, practice, and global issues. With a cross-section of country-by-country case studies, this comprehensive volume is a map for academics and students seeking to become more globally orientated cultural policy scholars.

The Practice of Enterprise Modeling

Business & Personal Finance

This volume constitutes the proceedings of the 8th IFIP WG 8.1 Conference on the Practice of Enterprise Modeling held in November 2015 in Valencia, Spain. The PoEM conference series started in 2008 and aims to provide a forum sharing knowledge and experiences between the academic community and practitioners from industry and the public sector.The 23 short papers accepted were carefully reviewed and selected from 72 submissions and are organized in eight sections on Evolving Enterprises, Securing Enterprises, Making Empirical Studies, Investigating Enterprise Methods, Acquiring User Information, Managing Risks and Threats, Engineering Methods, and Making Decisions in Enterprises.

Management Buy-Outs

Business & Personal Finance

This book, originally published in 1985, examines the practical effects of management buy-outs in terms of improvements in financial and managerial performance and sets them in their general theoretical context. It opens by considering buy-outs from the standpoint of economic analysis, entrepreneurship and the wider economic implications for industrial restructuring. It goes on to look at the effects of buy-outs in practice in a range of case studies developed by the authors. These consider the financial, economic and managerial impacts. Finally, it discusses the implications of management buy-outs for government policy and presents some general conclusions. This title will be of interest to students of business studies and management.

Should Italy Sell Its Nonfinancial Assets to Reduce the Debt?

Business & Personal Finance

This paper assesses the proposal, publicly debated in recent years in Italy, to reduce public debt by selling public assets, especially nonfinancial tangible assets. The main findings indicate that, although selling public assets has some merit if done to make more productive use of them, practical complications abound. Moreover, such sales might weaken underlying fiscal discipline. Other heavily indebted countries have reduced their debt much more than Italy without heavy recourse to extraordinary sales. In this context, the case of Belgium is of particular interest. Weighing the trade-offs, if properly and transparently done, the sale of public assets can complement, to a limited extent, fiscal consolidation, but should not be considered as an alternative to it.

Introduction à l'économie générale

Business & Personal Finance

Ce mémento est destiné au non-spécialiste qui souhaite acquérir des connaissances claires et rigoureuses dans les principaux domaines de la science économique : monnaie, microéconomie, macroéconomie, relations internationales, etc. Il permet d’en maîtriser le vocabulaire et les concepts fondamentaux, de comprendre les principaux mécanismes économiques et les théories essentielles. Sa conception en chapitres indépendants permet une lecture thématique. Une bibliographie par chapitre ainsi qu’un index détaillé en font un instrument de travail simple et efficace pour l’étudiant de premier cycle universitaire. Cet ouvrage s’adresse : – aux étudiants préparant un BTS ou un DUT tertiaire ; – aux étudiants préparant un DEUG de sciences économiques, de droit, d’AES, de LEA ou de sociologie ; – aux étudiants des classes préparatoires HEC ; – aux candidats au CAPES de sciences économiques et sociales.

Distributed Power in the United States

Business & Personal Finance

THE FUTURE OF RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTRIC POWER Providing reliable and secure electric power to meet the growing demands of this century, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, is a daunting challenge. The situation has given rise to increased interest in the potential for distributed power systems (DPS): a combination of distributed sources of power production and distributed energy storage. This study examines the economic, environmental, and energy security case for DPS. Scholars from the Brookings Institution's Energy Security Initiative and the Hoover Institution's Task Force on Energy Policy offer recommendations for ensuring the security and sustainability of our electricity system now and for future generations through the greater deployment of DPS. Their report provides a comprehensive survey of the current technology and policy landscape of DPS and offers suggestions for its most effective use in civilian and military settings, along with warnings on its possible pitfalls. They discuss the current economic, environmental, and energy security costs and benefits of DPS, the policies and regulations currently in place to promote DPS and their effectiveness, the potential benefits of increased penetration of DPS and the barriers to achieving them, and what federal and state governments can do to further encourage DPS. CONTRIBUTORS: John Banks, Jeremy Carl, Kevin Massy, Pedram Mokrian, Jelena Simjanovic, David Slayton, Amy Guy Wagner, Lisa Wood

Le monde à taux zéro

Business & Personal Finance

Keynes présentait les « taux zéro » comme l’arme de l’euthanasie du rentier. Mais nous vivons aussi la disparition des banques, celle, plus rapide encore s’ils ne changent pas de modèle, des assureurs-vie, l’instabilité chronique des marchés financiers, la douloureuse mutation des Banques centrales… bref, l’explosion d’un système financier que l’on tente pourtant de reconstruire depuis la crise financière de 2007-2008 à coup de règles et de normes. Et face à cela, des États surendettés rêvent d’échapper aux contraintes en empruntant sans douleur, des entreprises peuvent réinvestir dans des projets, des jeunes vont enfin créer leur entreprise, des épargnants moins jeunes sont forcés de prendre des risques dont ils ne voulaient pas quand le monde semblait calme.Ce livre nous invite à comprendre la transformation en cours, à partir de ce qui est au cœur de nos économies : le prix de l’argent. Et à voyager au bout de notre économie, qui se mue sous nos yeux en un monde nouveau. Un monde où il ne suffit plus d’inverser la courbe du chômage mais bien de le supprimer. Ce voyage vaut bien un détour par la théorie économique.

Negócios à Mesa

Business & Personal Finance

A receita para o sucesso do mais famoso empresário de restauração de Nova Iorque Aos 27 anos, Danny Meyer abriu o Union Square Café. O menu era radicalmente eclético, a zona muito mal afamada, os especialistas do ramo previram uma catástrofe. Enganaram-se. O restaurante impôs-se como um dos melhores e mais populares de Manhattan, e deu origem ao mais bem sucedido império de restauração de Nova Iorque, com uma facturação anual na ordem dos 50 milhões de dólares.Em Negócios à Mesa, Danny Meyer explica como conquistar e fidelizar o cliente.

Jak vybudovat úspěšný tým

Business & Personal Finance

Proč některé skupiny lidí překonají samy sebe a dokáží toho mnohem víc, než byste od jejich členů čekali?- ODKUD POCHÁZÍ SKVĚLÁ KULTURA?- JAK JI VE SVÉ SKUPINĚ BUDOVAT A UDRŽOVAT?- JAK ZMĚNIT KULTURU V TÝMECH, KTERÉ POTŘEBUJÍ OPRAVIT?Nahlédněte do nitra nejúspěšnějších organizací světa – včetně amerických námořních jednotek Navy SEALs, společnosti Google či basketbalového týmu San Antonio Spurs – a odhalte, co stojí za jejich úspěchem.Daniel Coyle demystifikuje proces budování kultury tím, že identifikuje tři klíčové dovednosti vytvářející soudržnost a spolupráci, a vysvětluje, jak se různorodé skupiny učí fungovat jednotně. Na příkladech internetového prodejce Zappos, komediální skupiny Upright Citizens Brigade či odvážného gangu zlodějů šperků autor nabízí konkrétní strategie, které spouštějí proces učení, podněcují spolupráci, budují důvěru a podporují pozitivní změny.Coyle prezentuje a analyzuje užitečné příběhy o selhání, na nichž demonstruje, co nedělat, řeší běžné nástrahy a sdílí rady, jak reformovat toxickou kulturu.KULTURA NENÍ NĚCO, CO JSTE – JE TO NĚCO, CO DĚLÁTE.„Na každé stránce najdeme hluboké myšlenky, příběhy, které změní způsob vaší práce, způsob vašeho vedení a váš dopad na svět. Vřele doporučuji, naléhavé čtení.“ – Seth Godin, autor knihy Proces„Čekal jsem roky, až někdo napíše tuto knihu – v hlavě jsem si ji vysnil jako něco mimořádného. Ale je lepší, než jsem si představoval. Daniel Coyle vytvořil fascinující čtení, demystifikující kouzlo vynikajících týmů. Předčí všechny jiné knihy o kultuře. Rychle si ji přečtěte.“– Adam Grant, autor knih Originály a Ještě to promysli„Skvělá knížka, která na konkrétních příkladech nejen ze světa byznysu jasně ukazuje, co může každý z nás udělat pro svůj tým, aby byl výkonnější a lidé v něm zároveň šťastnější.“ – Michal Šrajer, podnikatel a první český Chief Happiness Officer, spoluzakladatel mezinárodní konference Happiness@Work Live!„Kniha plná inspirativních příběhů, která změní váš způsob vedení lidí. Ať už jste CEO v korporátu, máte restauraci, nebo učíte studenty – vždy vedete tým. Daniel Coyle vám nabídne ty správné a nadčasové ingredience pro jeho správné fungování.“ – Dušan Murčo, Chief Growth Officer v Behavera, ex- Martinus a Slido, tvůrce RemoteLeader.Me„Příběhy silné, neobvyklé i obyčejné. Daniel Coyle v nich nachází klíče k vytváření psychologického bezpečí a kultury, která umožní využít lidský potenciál a přetvořit ho v něco krásného, inovativního, užitečného, úspěšného. Čtete jedn&ia[...]

Leading the Way

Business & Personal Finance

Top down leadership techniques are outdated. Today’s organisations are horizontally networked and constantly changing. They need leaders who can adapt, accept risk, collaborate and be transparent. This book distils 40 years of experience into 7 accessible skills that leaders need to thrive in business today. The 7 I’s of Leadership: Individuality, Insight, Initiate, Involve, Inspire, Improvise, Implement.Containing case studies, examples, questions and checklists, this book will enable you to understand the importance of these skills and will show you how to learn and implement them.

Harvard Business Review Leadership Library: The Executive Collection (12 Books)

Business & Personal Finance

The Harvard Business Review Leadership Library offers the most important leadership ideas from authors such as Michael D. Watkins, Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Porter, and John P. Kotter, to name just a few. This must-have digital collection includes The First 90 Days (Updated and Expanded), Blue Ocean Strategy (Expanded Edition), The Innovator’s Dilemma, Leading Change (With a New Preface by the Author), On Competition, Playing to Win, Remember Who You Are, HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategy, HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People, and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence.

Etrip

Business & Personal Finance

In February 2008, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Fly Open Sky Ltd. was finalizing a business plan for Etrip, a proposed online travel startup in the European travel market. He wanted to use the plan to convince investors to commit €100,000, which would provide the first round of financing in a lead up to a further investment of €500,000. The CEO had a vision of developing Etrip as a superior online travel reservation system and desired to implement higher value propositions over other companies’ products in this crowded and competitive market. Prior to launching a bid for capital the CEO had to make concrete decisions about an appropriate marketing plan, devising an accurate revenue model, and satisfying intellectual property rights with regards to Etrip’s domain name.

Profit First

Business & Personal Finance

Siamo abituati a pensare al profitto come il risultato delle vendite meno le spese. Per quanto logica, questa formula ha un punto debole: il profitto, che dovrebbe essere il primo obiettivo di un'azienda, si trova alla fine dell'equazione e passa per assurdo in secondo piano. Può sembrare un dettaglio da poco, ma in realtà per un imprenditore accontentarsi di vedere il profitto in questo modo non è sempre la cosa migliore. Mike Michalowicz inverte due fattori e calcola le spese sottraendo il profitto dalle vendite. In questo modo il profitto viene considerato prima e le spese, grande ago della bilancia per qualsiasi impresa, sono viste con più attenzione. Si impara così a semplificare la contabilità, abbattere i debiti e mettere le spese sotto controllo, evitando che divorino inutilmente profitto e trasformando un'azienda in perdita in un'attività sana e produttiva. Ricco di casi di studio, esempi pratici e consigli da seguire passo passo, questo libro va controcorrente per aiutare le piccole e medie imprese a ottenere profitti senza rinunciare alla crescita.

Good Work

Business & Personal Finance

What if work could be the solution to wellbeing rather than the problem? We’re facing an epidemic of burnout, loneliness and quiet despair at work — not because people are weak, but because our systems are stretched and outdated. Despite more wellness apps and flexibility policies than ever, we’ve never felt more disconnected from meaning, purpose and each other. Good Work argues that real change won’t come from quick fixes, motivational quotes or coping strategies. It comes from reimagining the way we work — together. Drawing on decades of psychological research and stories from frontline teams to global organisations, organisational psychologist Dr Kat Page reveals a bold new blueprint for creating work that protects, fuels and connects people. Learn how to: Strengthen your personal wellbeing while contributing to a healthier shared culture Build connected, high performing teams where people speak honestly, think boldly and thrive as highly connected communities Create momentum for change, even when you don’t hold the power Navigate workplace stress while maintaining performance, connection and career momentum Whether you're leading others, shaping culture or redesigning your own relationship with work, Good Work is a call to action — an invitation to influence systems, practices and norms to make good work the rule, not the exception. Not just for yourself, but for all of us.

Up the Republic!

Business & Personal Finance

In this important book, historians, lawyers, economists and writers come together to put a coherent case: that although the Irish economic collapse has resulted in national humiliation, renewed emigration and a decline in living standards for the majority of the population, there is still hope that the country can be reformed and renewed. Irish politicians offered the now notorious blanket guarantee to all the banks which had got in over their heads during the great property bubble - including one that had become little more than a criminal enterprise. A different set of politicians grimly enforces the consequences of that guarantee, locking an entire generation of Irish men and women into paying for the mistakes of greedy bankers and their corrupt friends in government. The energy of hope has to come from elsewhere. These essays demonstrate how simple measures and different economic and social policies could release that energy and fulfil the promise of an educated, literate and culturally vibrant people.

Management Frameworks

Business & Personal Finance

Today’s business organizations, especially large ones, are complex places; difficult to manage and to control. Much of this complexity is self-induced and too much of the management of these organizations is done on an ad hoc basis. Different reporting, control and management systems are used in different parts of the company and often these are incompatible, making it difficult, sometimes impossible for top management to know what is going on. Consequently it is an arduous task for managers to make strategic plans for the business or react quickly to changes in the environment.This book shows how much of this complexity can be smoothed away through the introduction of overarching management frameworks that are complete, consistent and comprehensive; bringing all the various parts of the organization together as a single system. It provides a whole-firm view of management and suggests that reputational and ethical issues are equally important to marketing, operations and finance and need to be considered within the framework. Management Frameworks is a practical and insightful book; offering students the tools and knowledge required for viewing strategy and management holistically. It will be required reading for executive education classes in strategic management and will find a ready audience with thinking managers everywhere.

The Palgrave Companion to LSE Economics

Business & Personal Finance

The London School of Economics (LSE) has been and continues to be one of the most important global centres for economics. With six chapters on themes in LSE economics and 29 chapters on the lives and work of LSE economists, this volume shows how economics became established at the School, how it produced some of the world’s best-known economists, including Lionel Robbins and Bill Phillips, plus Nobel Prize winners, such as Friedrich Hayek, John Hicks and Christopher Pissarides, and how it remains a global force for the very best in teaching and research in economics. With original contributions from a stellar cast, this volume provides economists – especially those interested in macroeconomics and the history of economic thought – with the first in-depth analysis of LSE economics.

Facilitating Breakthrough

Business & Personal Finance

Making progress on complex, problematic situations requires a new approach to working together: transformative facilitation, a structured and creative process for removing the obstacles to fluid forward movement. It is becoming less straightforward for people to move forward together. They face increasing complexity and decreasing control. They need to work with more people from across more divides. In such situations, the most common ways of advancing—some people telling others what to do, or everyone just doing what they think they need to—aren't adequate.One better way is through facilitating. But the most common approaches to facilitating—bossy vertical directing from above or collegial horizontal accompanying from alongside—aren't adequate. They often leave the participants frustrated and yearning for breakthrough.This book describes a new approach: transformative facilitation. It doesn't choose either the bossy vertical or the collegial horizontal approach: it cycles back and forth between them. Rather than forcing or cajoling, the facilitator removes the obstacles that stand in the way of people contributing and connecting equitably. It enables people to bring their whole selves to the process. This book is for anyone who helps people work together to transform their situation, be it a professional facilitator, manager, consultant, coach, chairperson, organizer, mediator, stakeholder, or friend. It offers a broad and bold vision of the contribution that facilitation can make to helping people collaborate to make progress.

Project Management In A Week

Business & Personal Finance

Managing projects just got easierThis book will help you come to grips with the basics of project management in a week. By the end of the week you will know your way through the process more clearly. For a start, you will have to consult your end users to work out their precise requirements. You will then need to work out the best way to deliver the required outputs, consider the size of the team you will need to meet those requirements and prepare a schedule for the project. Most importantly, you will need to firm up costs, work out a budget and develop monitoring procedures to keep to the agreed costs. You will learn tips for communicating well, especially when dealing with unexpected problems that may arise.Each day of the week covers a different area and the material is structured for ease of reference. An introduction gives you a 'heads-up' as to what the day is about. The main material then explains the key lessons to be learned. Important principles are clarified and backed up by case studies, quotations and tables. Each day concludes with a summary, next steps and multiple-choice questions, to reinforce the learning points.Sunday: Think clearly. Lay firm foundations for your project as you clarify and set parameters for the project.Monday: Plan your project carefully. Begin to make detailed arrangements for the various stages of the project.Tuesday: Cost your project wisely in the planning stage and ensure that you have rigorous controls in place to monitor costs and quality as you implement the project.Wednesday: Implement your project successfully. After all your planning and preparation, you are now ready to put the project into practice.Thursday: Communicate effectively. Good communication with all the colleagues involved in your project is vital to ensure that the team works successfully.Friday: Deal with change constructively. Here we look at why some projects go off track and how to manage changes.Saturday: Conclude and evaluate your project positively. How do you complete all the final stages of your project? What lessons can you learn as you evaluate the success of your project?

Business & Personal Finance Books