Business, Finance & Law Books

Book SynopsisTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Excellent.' The Times'Offers a fresh take on how to create your own balance, be more productive and feel fulfilled in the high-pressure social media age.' Cosmopolitan, 12 BEST NEW BOOKS TO READ'Serves some serious inspiration for the business-minded.' Bustle, TOP DEBUT BOOKS OF 2021'Pinpoints and unpacks the confusing and impossible messages we are all fed about modern work, how we are supposedly meant to be "nailing" all areas of our life all at once.' Emma Gannon________________We all know the pressure of feeling like we should be grinding 24/7 while simultaneously being told that we should 'just relax' and take care of ourselves, like we somehow have to decide between success and sanity. But in today's complex working world, where every hobby can be a hustle and social media is the lens through which we view ourselves and others, this seemingly impossible choice couldn't be further from our reality.In Working Hard, Hardly Working, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed 'lazy workaholic' Grace Beverley challenges this unrealistic and unnecessary split, and offers a fresh take on how to create your own balance, be more productive and feel fulfilled.________________A BOOK TO HELP YOU:Create your own Productivity Method: Work smart and do more of what you loveMake your routine work for you: Optimise your habits and reap the benefitsUnderstand your value: Get into your flow and enjoy your everydayEngage in effective self-care: How stepping back can help you move forwards

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Book SynopsisA Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) Guide is the go-to resource for project management practitioners. Over the past few years, the project management profession has significantly evolved due to emerging technology, new approaches and rapid market changes. Reflecting this evolution, The Standard for Project Management enumerates 12 principles of project management and the PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition is structured around eight project performance domains. Both the standard and the guide reflect the wide range of development approaches that lead to value delivery. This edition is designed to address practitioners’ current and future needs and to help them be more proactive, innovative and nimble in enabling desired project outcomes. This edition of the PMBOK® Guide: Reflects the full range of development approaches (predictive, adaptive, hybrid, etc.) Provides an entire section devoted to tailoring the development approach and processes Includes an expanded list of models, methods, and artifacts Focuses on not just delivering project outputs but also enabling outcomes; and Integrates with PMIstandards+ for information and standards application content based on project type, development approach, and industry sector.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a refreshingly practical yet theoretically sound roadmap to leveraging data analytics and data science. The vast amount of data generated about us and our world is useless without plans and strategies that are designed to cope with its size and complexity, and which enable organizations to leverage the information to create value in marketing.Creating Value with Data Analytics in Marketing provides a nuanced view of big data developments and data science, arguing that big data is not a revolution but an evolution of the increasing availability of data that has been observed in recent times. Building on the authors' extensive academic and practical knowledge, this book aims to provide managers and analysts with strategic directions and practical analytical solutions on how to create value from existing and new big data. The second edition of this bestselling text has been fully updated in line with developments in the field and includes a selection of new, Trade Review"More than ever before, managers are held accountable for the return on their marketing investments. Data science has thus become a centerpiece in the skills arsenal of today’s manager. This comprehensive, yet eminently readable book is a must read for anyone seriously interested in using data science to create firm value."Jan-Benedict Steenkamp, C. Knox Massey Distinguished Professor of Marketing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA"Data science and big data analytics are in vogue these days but none of the current books on these subjects combine an understanding of them along with how they interface with marketing metrics. This is precisely what Peter Verhoef, Edwin Kooge, Natasha Walk and Jaap Wieringa have accomplished! The book is literally a treasure trove for marketing practitioners, academics and students, to not only understand the specifics of the data science techniques and methodologies but also to develop an appreciation of how they can all be put together to inform managers and drive decision making!"P.K. Kannan, Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives at University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business, USA"In the age of big data, understanding data analytic in marketing is crucial. This edition highlights how data can bring value to the organization and brand while addressing the need for customer privacy and data security. This book helps the reader understand the what story the data is saying as well as create a data-driven culture. A must read for anyone wanting a better understanding of how data can bring value in marketing."Joyce Costello, Marketing Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK"This superb book brilliantly synthesizes knowledge that every researcher and professional working with marketing analytics should have. The new edition of this much-valued book is even better!"Polymeros Chrysochou, Professor at Department of Management & MAPP Centre, Aarhus University, Denmark"This book offers an amazing overview of what data analytics entails, and how any marketer can create value through (big) data. It offers many great examples and is written in a no nonsense manner combining the best of academic and practitioner knowledge. If you are serious about data analytics, this book is a must-read."Arne De Keyser, Associate Professor of Marketing, EDHEC Business School, France"This revised edition is a practical book introducing readers to big data analytics in marketing in details. It is packed with great examples and engaging case studies. The book is well structured and is easy to understand. A great book for students, scholars and practitioners to start their journey in exploring big data analytics in marketing."Mingming Cheng, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing, School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University, AustraliaTable of Contents1 Data science and big data; 2 Creating value with data science; 3 Value objectives and metrics; 4 Data assets; 5 Data storing and integration; 6 Customer privacy and data security; 7 Data analytics; 8 Data exploration; 9 Data modeling; 10 Creating impact with storytelling and visualization; 11 Creating value with data science; 12 Building successful data analytics capabilities

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Book SynopsisJohn Stott would never have called it 'mentoring', but, throughout his life, he instinctively drew alongside younger men and women from across the world, gently pastoring them within the context of a warm, genuine and healthy "Paul-Timothy" friendship. Why aren't these intergenerational friendships more common in the Church today? In Transforming Friendship, John Wyatt acknowledges that recent serious scandals and suspicion prevalent in our culture have made people more cautious about these kinds of relationships. The church, therefore, needs to lead the way in seeing friendship transformed into something safe, life-giving and Christlike. Wyatt shares the transformative experience of being Stott's close friend. Using examples from the Bible, Christian history and the church today, he makes the case for a model of "Gospel-crafted" friendship, with a particular emphasis on the need for more Paul-Timothy type relationships like the one he enjoyed with Stott.

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 'With intelligence and care (as well as with a trove of sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heart-opening true stories) Heather McGhee shows us what racism has cost all of us' - Elizabeth Gilbert Picked for the Financial Times Summer Books by Gillian Tett What would make a society drain its public swimming baths and fill them with concrete rather than opening them to everyone? Economics researcher Heather McGhee sets out across America to learn why white voters so often act against their own interests. Why do they block changes that would help them, and even destroy their own advantages, whenever people of colour also stand to benefit? Their tragedy is that they believe they can't win unless somebody else loses. But this is a lie. McGhee marshals overwhelming economic evidence, and a profound well of empathy, to reveal the surprising truth: even racists lose out under white supremacy. And US racism is everybody's problem. As McGhee shows, it was bigoted lending policies that laid the ground for the 2008 financial crisis. There can be little prospect of tackling global climate change until America's zero-sum delusions are defeated. The Sum of Us offers a priceless insight into the workings of prejudice, and a timely invitation to solidarity among all humans, 'to piece together a new story of who we could be to one another'.Trade ReviewShocking [and] hard to argue with ... McGhee is on [an] ambitious mission. [Her] optimistic demeanour [and] research also inspires hope ... It is tantalisingly easy to embrace her vision -- Gillian Tett * FT *This is the book I've been waiting for -- Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author * How to Be an Antiracist *A must-read for everyone -- Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives MatterImpactful ... McGhee weaves together personal anecdotes and family history, reporting and social science to present an image of what the United States is, but does not have to be. It is a picture some Americans grew up seeing, which others ignore at their peril -- Emily Tamkin * New Statesman *With intelligence and care (as well as with a trove of sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heart-opening true stories) Heather McGhee shows us what racism has cost all of us -- Elizabeth Gilbert * Eat, Pray, Love *A vital, urgent, stirring, beautifully written book that offers a compassionate roadmap out of our present troubled moment -- George Saunders, Booker Prize-winning authorThere is a striking clarity to this book; there is also a depth of kindness in it that all but the most churlish readers will find moving -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *Very real, and very hopeful, and that's the rarest of combinations. It will be a classic on the day it's published -- Bill McKibben, author * Falter *The beauty and power of this book is blinding. Heather McGhee is one of our society's brightest minds and The Sum of Us serves as a torch that we must follow to get us to a better place. The impact of racism is all encompassing, and this book doesn't just highlight that, it gives us a road map for the future. I am better because of this book. Our country will be better because of this book -- Wes Moore, bestselling author of Five Days and The Other Wes MooreA powerful, singular, and prescriptive blend of the macro and the intimate * O Magazine *Political commentator McGhee argues in her astute and persuasive debut that income inequality and the decline of the middle and working classes are a direct result of the country's long history of racial injustice ... This sharp, thorough, and engrossing report casts America's racial divide in a new light * Publishers Weekly, starred *An eye-opening, powerful argument for working ever harder for racial equity * Kirkus, starred *Heather McGhee does not shy away from telling hard truths. Racism sits at the heart of America, and McGhee shows its effects on the very people who cleave to it. The Sum of Us removes the cloak from this land of so-called innocents and brilliantly offers a path forward for the nation. This book is for all of us standing in the breach, working towards social change. With care and unflinching honesty, McGhee has written an extraordinary book for these difficult days -- Eddie S. Glaude Jr., author of Begin Again

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Book SynopsisThe totally revised edition of a groundbreaking bestseller, first published in 1986, provides information and guidance in starting and maintaining a small business or franchise in the 1990s.

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Book SynopsisTwo top experts on high-performing organizations show you how to reframe yourâand your employeesâârelationship with fear and anxiety to create a learning culture of engaged workers at the top of their game.Fear and uncertainty have been undermining performance and well-being in the workplace for as long as we have had workplaces. Hereâs a little-known fact of business: mismanaged fear is responsible for almost all of the dysfunction that most organizations experience. While fear can drive short-term results, it does so at the cost of high employee burnout and turnover. It also undermines long-term business performance. But we canât eradicate it entirely; it is inherent to the human condition. Winning organizations arenât fear-free; they know how to reframe fear into opportunities for learning and growth. They create resilient cultures of unfear.In this timely and essential guide, McKinsey alumni Gaurav Bhatnagar and Mark Minukas show leaders:

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Book SynopsisDrawing on a wide body of research, including extensive in-depth interviews, THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW reveals the central insights that lie at the core of: Great Managing, Great Leadership and Great Careers. Buckingham uses a wealth of relevant examples to reveal that at the heart of each insight lies a controlling insight. Lose sight of this ''one thing'' and all of your best efforts at managing, leading, or individual achievement will be diminished. For great managing, the controlling insight has less to do with fairness, or team building, or clear expectations (although all are important). Rather, the one thing great managers know is the need to discover and then capitalize on what is unique about each person. For leadership, the controlling insight is the opposite - discover and capitalize on what is universal to all your people, regardless of differences in personality, race, sex, or age. For sustained individual success, the controlling insight is the need to discover what

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Book SynopsisChallenge your brain power with these fun crossword puzzles.100 puzzles from The Times adapting the cryptic puzzle for those with a hectic lifestyle and schedule.Ideal for those starting out with cryptic crosswords, and those who'd like to tackle the main puzzle but feel daunted, or who can perhaps only solve a handful of clues.Appearing Monday to Friday in the puzzle pages of Times2, this crossword has a reduced 13x13 grid size and reduced difficulty too, the intention being to encourage people to take their first steps in tackling cryptic crosswords. And also to cater for those of us who have limited time to devote to our favourite pastime and need a ready-made set of puzzles that is solvable in a short space of time.

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Book SynopsisA biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest fashion icons, reissued to coincide with the biopic Coco avant Chanel.Trade Review'Axel Madsen's book cuts through the falsehoods. Set against the realism of historical events, it skilfully analyses the creation of the Chanel phenomenon' Vogue 'The best yet book on the big C' Elle 'A great rags to riches story and the fascination of the gorgon does come through' Irish Independent 'A lively biography of the extraordinary fashion designer whose life was from start to finish an extravaganza' Financial Times

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Book SynopsisYou''ll get there faster if you just slow down Master Your Mind offers a bit of perspective and a lot of insight for anyone seeking long-term success. Success in business is spelled M-O-R-E: better results, faster growth, more revenue, greater efficiency. Do more. Make more. Achieve more. And do it now. Eventually, ambition turns to stress, then to frenzy, then to emptiness as once-ambitious workers endlessly trudge the hamster wheel chasing the next promotion. While top-level performance is the holy grail of business at all levels, there is another, much better way to achieve it: slow down. Yes, you read that rightS-L-O-W. This is your permission to jump off of the hamster wheel. Slowing down is not a luxury, it is a necessity. A frenetic brain simply doesn't perform at optimal levels. By maintaining a snail''s pace, you actually achieve better resultsat rocket speedbecause you''re firing on all cylinders. You''ll think of new things, approach old probleTable of ContentsIntroduction ix Part I Slow Down Your Brain: Let an Elephant Do Your Work for You 1 Chapter 1- Slowing Down, Speeding Up, and Your “Runaway Brain” What Are We Talking About? 5 Chapter 2- Understanding and Harnessing Your Subconscious Brain 15 Chapter 3- Understanding and Harnessing Your Brain Wave Patterns 39 Chapter 4- Your Brain’s Unhelpful Default Settings 51 Chapter 5- The 2-Millimeter Principle and the Recipe for a Breakthrough 59 Part II Slow Down the Game: Counterintuitive Strategies and Tactics That Really Work 73 Chapter 6- Master Your Mind by Mastering Your Input: Programming Your Mind for Automatic Results 77 Chapter 7- Master Your Mind by Mastering the Voices in Your Head 97 Chapter 8- Master Your Mind with the Ridiculous Power of Clarity 109 Chapter 9- Master Your Mind by Mastering Your Week: The Two-Hour Solution 119 Chapter 10- Master Your Mind by Mastering the Art of No 137 Chapter 11- Master Your Mind by Mastering Your Environment: Declutter 151 Chapter 12- Master Your Mind by Mastering Your Body: Take Care of Yourself 161 Chapter 13- Master Your Mind by Mastering Silence and Presence: Shut Up and Listen 169 Chapter 14- Master Your Mind by Getting Micro: Start Small and Improve Incrementally 177 Chapter 15- Mastering Passion and Excellence 189 Conclusion: Next Steps: Wrap-up, Review, and What to Do from Here 197 Resource Guide 205 About the Authors 209 Index 211

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Book SynopsisFor companies and individuals stuck in in the same place, unable to move forward, this book provides not only a clear roadmap from point A to point B but also a way to arrive faster than anticipated and with measurable results. B State is about the state of transformation that removes old mindsets, inefficient behaviors, and undesirable habits to bring about breakthrough culture and business change. It focuses on where someone is going, and it helps them get there fast. In B State, Mark Samuel offers accountability-based executive and management coaching to assist individual leaders in developing strategies to create the new behaviors and habits their organization needs in order to perform at higher levels. The principles and methods he presents focus on building high performance teamwork at all levels and creating results that are both unprecedented and sustainable. Written for business executives, managers, and supervisors, this is not just a book about how to do business but also a book about how to live life. Samuel empowers readers with a way to understand and adopt his system, offers tangible solutions, illustrates how these work through case studies, and shows readers how to bring about the dynamic forward launch they're looking for. This is a useful guide for anyone but can also be a powerful complement to training and consulting programs.

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Book SynopsisMerger Masters presents revealing profiles of monumentally successful merger investors based on exclusive interviews with some of the greatest minds to practice the art of arbitrage. Told in lively, accessible prose, it is an incomparable set of stories with plenty of unfiltered lessons from the best managers of our time.Trade ReviewThe authors bring together into one publication excellent insight from the masters in the art of merger arbitrage. A strategy designed to yield the practitioner excellent profits. A very worthwhile read. -- Leon G. Cooperman, founder, chairman, and CEO of Omega Advisors, Inc.Merger Masters is a rare combination of fascinating stories about legendary deal makers and battle-seasoned techniques for deal making. Reading the interviews will provide important lessons and invaluable, time-tested investment insights. There is no one better to draw out the lessons than Kate Welling and Mario Gabelli. -- Paul Johnson, adjunct professor of finance, Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University, and coauthor of Pitch the Perfect Investment: The Essential Guide to Winning on Wall StreetKate Welling, in her inimitable manner, has captured the individuals, articulated their talents and accomplishments, bringing her lifetime skills as a superb financial journalist to the task. -- Louise Yamada, founder of Louise Yamada Technical Research Advisors, LLCI highly recommend this fascinating look into the world of risk arbitrageurs. Wall Street veterans Kate Welling and Mario Gabelli provide keen insights into a part of the investment business that has long been seen as mysterious. They skillfully pull back the curtain on the industry by talking to players on both sides—the “arbs” and the corporate managers, all of whom have interesting and valuable stories to tell. For anyone interested in learning about merger arbitrage from the key players, this is the book to read! -- A. Gary Shilling, president of A. Gary Shilling & Co.In this engrossing book, Welling and Gabelli explore the thinking of the mavens who arbitrage the big deals on Wall Street. Risk arb turns out to be an extreme form of value investing, with more precise valuation and risk selection, overlaid with game theory. A must-read for professionals. -- Joel Tillinghast, author of Big Money Thinks Small: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter InvestingNot the typical account of specific corporate combinations found in most books on merger. [The authors] look at corporate deals and risk arbitrage through the eyes of some of the most accomplished individual participants in this field. -- F. A. Marino, Assumption College * Choice *Raises the curtain on arbitrage strategy by profiling leading practitioners. * Regulation *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and Wall Street TermsIntroduction—Why This Book? by Mario J. GabelliPart I. The Arbs’ Perspectives1. Guy Wyser-Pratte2. Jeffrey Tarr3. Martin Gruss4. Paul Singer5. Michael Price6. Peter Schoenfeld7. John Paulson8. Paul Gould9. George Kellner10. Roy Behren and Michael Shannon11. Karen Finerman12. John Bader13. Clint Carlson14. James Dinan15. Drew Figdor16. Jamie Zimmerman17. Keith MoorePart II. The View from the Other Side—The CEOs18. William Stiritz19. Paul Montrone20. Peter McCauslandAppendix I: Risk Arbitrage Decision TreeAppendix II: DealsAppendix III: A Note on MethodsIndex

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Book SynopsisIn this compelling, accessible and purpose-filled book bestselling business author Seth Godin shows how you have the potential to make a big difference-and make yourself indispensable in the process-wherever you are.Why are some people easily outsourced, downsized, or freelanced into obscurity, while others have their pick of opportunities? In his most powerful book yet, Seth Godin argues that it''s more essential than ever to become indispensable - to become a linchpin. Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations: they invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They love their work and pour their best selves into it and turn each day into a kind of art - and, in today''s world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom.Godin shows that the key to being indispensable is overcoming the fears that hold most of us back. If you have you ever found a shortcut that others missed, seen a new way to resolve a conflict, or made a connection with someone others couldn''t reach, then you have what it takes to become indispensable. It''s time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map.Trade ReviewThousands of authors write business books every year, but only a handful reach star status and the A-list lecture circuit. Fewer still - one, to be exact - can boast his own action figure . . . Godin delivers his combination of counterintuitive thinking and a great sense of fun * BusinessWeek *It's easy to see why people pay to hear what he has to say * Time *This book is a gift -- Jacqueline Novogratz, founder, The Acumen FundIf Seth Godin didn't exist we'd need to invent him-that's how indispensable he is! You hold in your hands a compelling, accessible, and purpose-filled book. Read it, and do yourself a big favour. Your future will thank you! -- Alan Webber, founder, Fast CompanyThis is what the future of work (and the world) looks like. Actually, it's already happening around you -- Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.comFor anyone who feels trapped in a labyrinth of tradition, this book is compass, map and sledgehammer * Business Destinations *For anyone who feels trapped in a labyrinth of tradition, this book is compass, map and sledgehammer * BUSINESS DESTINATIONS, February 10 *This is what the future of work (and the world) looks like. Actually, it's already happening around you * Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos.com *This book is a gift * Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder, The Acumen Fund *If Seth Godin didn't exist we'd need to invent him - that's how indispensable he is! You hold in your hands a compeeling, accessible and purpose-filled book. Read it, and do yourself a big favour. Your future will thank you! * Alan Webber, Founder, FAST COMPANY *

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents Review of Algebra Applications and More Algebra Functions and Graphs Lines, Parabolas, and Systems Exponential and Logarithmic Functions Mathematics of Finance Matrix Algebra Linear Programming Introduction to Probability and Statistics Additional Topics in Probability Limits and Continuity Differentiation Additional Differentiation Topics Curve Sketching Integration Applications of Integration Continuous Random Variables Multivariable Calculus

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisRichard Denny is one of the foremost authorities on sales, management training and personal development. A highly sought-after inspirational speaker, he has been sharing his ideas on success and achievement around the world for over 20 years. He is also the author of Winning New Business, Motivate to Win, Communicate to Win and Succeed for Yourself (all published by Kogan Page). His books have sold over a quarter of a million copies worldwide.Trade Review"The master of professional salesmanship" * The Times *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Selling in perspective; Chapter - 02: Planning to win; Chapter - 03: The vital ingredient; Chapter - 04: Finding the time; Chapter - 05: Finding the business; Chapter - 06: Getting the appointment; Chapter - 07: The rules of professional selling; Chapter - 08: The sales presentation; Chapter - 09: Closing the sale; Chapter - 10: The principles of professionalism; Chapter - 11: Giving real service; Chapter - 12: Handling objections; Chapter - 13: Negotiation; Chapter - 14: Letter writing; Chapter - 15: Body language; Chapter - 16: Avoiding the negative; Chapter - 17: Don’t quit

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Book SynopsisSarah Cook is the managing director of Stairway Consultancy, customer service specialists. She is the author of Change Management Excellence and Customer Care Excellence, both published by Kogan Page.Table of Contents Chapter - 01: Complaints as opportunities; Chapter - 02: Encouraging dissatisfied customers to voice their complaints; Chapter - 03: What people look for when they complain; Chapter - 04: Customer-management strategy and its implementation; Chapter - 05: Communication styles and emotional intelligence; Chapter - 06: The skills and behaviours needed for dealing effectively with complaints; Chapter - 07: Recording and thoroughly investigating complaints; Chapter - 08: Conciliation, mediation and arbitration; Chapter - 09: Making improvements as a result of complaints; Chapter - 10: Creating an environment that promotes high performance; Chapter - 11: Complaint handling and culture change

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Book SynopsisIf you are one of the millions of airline passengers who take to the air daily and have no idea how an aeroplane flies or how it is flown - but would like to find out - then this is the book for you. It is written by an airline pilot who knows from first-hand experience those questions that are asked most frequently. He knows that for many it is an interest born of curiosity, and in some cases, caused by fear. In this revised third edition Julien Evans explains, in straightforward everyday language, about the airframe and the engines, the flight deck and the controls, how the aeroplane is flown and the routines followed. In fact it explains everything the average passenger may wish to know. An informative guide to understanding how an aeroplane flies and how it is flown. Will be of great interest to aviation enthusiasts, frequent flyers and anyone interested in airliner operations. In straightforward language it covers the airframe, the engines, the flight deck, the controls and much, much more. Fully illustrated with colour photographs and diagrams throughout. Julien Evans, now retired, had a 36-year career of airline flying as well as an instructor and examiner.Trade Review'balanced, informative, comprehensive, totally accurate and , most importantly, interesting'. Pilot Magazine.balanced, informative, comprehensive, totally accurate and , most importantly, interesting. * Pilot Magazine *

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Book SynopsisMick Middles is the author of nineteen books, most of which have concentrated on Manchester's music artists from punk to the present. He was the Manchester correspondent for Sounds magazine and his work has appeared in publications as diverse as the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, the Express, Manchester Evening News, the Face, Kerraang, Classic Rock, Record Collector and Rock'n'Reel. He lives in Warrington.Trade ReviewInformed and informative ... a smart, well-researched view of the Manchester music scene * Maxim *A fascinating account ... richly detailed * Q *

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Book SynopsisNow in this bestselling book, he shares the most intriguing - and bizarre - questions and the economic principles that answer them to reveal why many of the most puzzling parts of everyday life actually make perfect (economic) sense.Trade ReviewFascinating ... provides the answers to some of life's quirkiest conundrums * Daily Mail *Explains how cold, hard cash really does make our world go round * Independent *Can be returned to again and again like one of those all-you-can-eat buffets * New York Times *Don't miss this addictive book. As Robert Frank and his students figured out dozens of everyday puzzles together, they produced ideas that are charming, curious, educational and lots of fun. Wonderful stuff. * Tim Harford, author of 'The Undercover Economist' and 'The Logic of Life' *Fascinating, mind-expanding, and lots of fun * Steven Pinker, author of The Blank Slate *

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Book SynopsisIn 1945 Britain was the world''s leading designer and builder of aircraft - a world-class achievement that was not mere rhetoric. And what aircraft they were. The sleek Comet, the first jet airliner. The awesome delta-winged Vulcan, an intercontinental bomber that could be thrown about the sky like a fighter. The Hawker Hunter, the most beautiful fighter-jet ever built and the Lightning, which could zoom ten miles above the clouds in a couple of minutes and whose pilots rated flying it as better than sex.How did Britain so lose the plot that today there is not a single aircraft manufacturer of any significance in the country? What became of the great industry of de Havilland or Handley Page? And what was it like to be alive in that marvellous post-war moment when innovative new British aircraft made their debut, and pilots were the rock stars of the age?

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Book SynopsisAttention merchant: an industrial-scale harvester of human attention. A firm whose business model is the mass capture of attention for resale to advertisers.In nearly every moment of our waking lives, we face a barrage of advertising enticements, branding efforts, sponsored social media, commercials and other efforts to harvest our attention. Over the last century, few times or spaces have remained uncultivated by the 'attention merchants', contributing to the distracted, unfocused tenor of our times. Tim Wu argues that this is not simply the byproduct of recent inventions but the end result of more than a century's growth and expansion in the industries that feed on human attention. From the pre-Madison Avenue birth of advertising to TV's golden age to our present age of radically individualized choices, the business model of 'attention merchants' has always been the same. He describes the revolts that have risen against these relentless attempts to influence our consumption, from the remote control to FDA regulations to Apple's ad-blocking OS. But he makes clear that attention merchants grow ever-new heads, and their means of harvesting our attention have given rise to the defining industries of our time, changing our nature - cognitive, social, and otherwise - in ways unimaginable even a generation ago.Trade Review[Tim Wu] writes books that make a big impact... The Attention Merchants is a sobering and significant book. * John Naughton, The Guardian *'Wu writes about the uglier consequences of our great migration to the web with the bruised zeal of an ex-millenarian.' * The Times *'Wu is much better than most, partly because he is a sceptic, but mainly because he has narrative flair and an eye for the most telling examples.' * The Sunday Times *In this revelatory book, Tim Wu tells the story of how advertisers and programmers came to seize control of our eyes and minds. The Attention Merchants deserves everyone's attention. * Nicholas Carr, author of THE SHALLOWS *[Wu] could hardly have chosen a better time to publish a history of attention-grabbing... He traces a sustained march of marketers further into our lives. * Financial Times *'Wu's book ... record[s] the extraordinarily successful attempts by advertisers to occupy more and more of our attention over the past 100 years.' * Ben Tarnoff, The Guardian *I couldn't put this fascinating book down. Gripping from page one with its insight, vivid writing, and panoramic sweep, [it] is also a book of urgent importance, revealing how our preeminent industries work to fleece our consciousness rather than help us cultivate it. * Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor and author of BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER *A profoundly important book... Attention itself has become the currency of the information age, and, as Wu meticulously and eloquently demonstrates, we allow it to be bought and sold at our peril. * James Gleick, author of TIME TRAVEL: A HISTORY *The question of how to get people to care about something important to you is central to religion, government, commerce, and the arts. For more than a century, America has experimented with buying and selling this attention, and Wu's history of that experiment is nothing less than a history of the human condition and its discontents. -- Cory Doctorow * BOING BOING *Forget subliminal seduction: every day, we are openly bought and sold, as this provocative book shows. * Kirkus *[A] startling and sweeping examination of the increasingly ubiquitous commercial effort to capture and commodify our attention * New Republic *Illuminating * New York Review of Books *[An] energetic and original new book * London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction: Welcome to the Strategy Room 1 You are not alone 2 The villain is the social side of strategy 4 Where is the outside view? 6 Making big moves happen 8 The journey ahead of us 9 1. Games in the Strategy Room—and Why People Play Them 13 The social side of strategy, in action 15 The dreaded hockey stick 17 Can we handle the truth? 20 Playing the inside game 21 Send in the guru 22 The wrong problem for human brains 23 The biased mind 25 Now add social dynamics to the mix 27 When the inside view remains unchecked 31 2. Opening the Windows of Your Strategy Room 37 The right yardstick 40 Your business lives on a Power Curve 42 What we see on the map 44 Why you are where you are 49 A fresh perspective with the outside view 53 3. Hockey Stick Dreams, Hairy Back Realities 57 The rise of the hairy back 58 Getting to yes 60 A haircut from finance 60 Bold forecasts 62 Timid plans 68 Corporate peanut butter 70 Shooting for the known 70 Real hockey sticks 72 4. What are the Odds? 75 The knowable probability of success 77 Flight paths of the upwardly mobile 80 A tale of three companies 83 Where are the odds in the strategy room? 85 The push for certainty 87 You are your numbers 89 5. How to Find the Real Hockey Stick 93 What’s different this time? 94 Check the facts 95 The odds that matter: Yours 96 The 10 variables that make the difference 99 Endowment 100 Trends 101 Moves 102 It all matters 103 The mobility dashboard 105 Know the odds 109 Is that all? 110 6. The Writing is on the Wall 115 A very different conversation about strategy 118 Tennis or badminton? 119 Industries are escalators 120 Change your industry or change industries 123 Consider changing locations, too 124 Go micro 125 The need for privileged insights 127 Acting on the writing on the wall 128 The four stages of a disruptive trend 130 Stage one: Signals amid the noise 132 Stage two: Change takes hold 134 Stage three: The inevitable transformation 136 The hardest stage 136 Stage four: Adapting to the new normal 139 7. Making the Right (big) Moves 143 Big moves are essential 146 Corning’s story 150 Programmatic M&A and divestitures 150 Active resource re-allocation 152 To re-allocate, you have to de-allocate 156 Strong capital programs 156 Caution on capex 158 Distinctive productivity improvement 158 Running fast and getting nowhere 159 Differentiation improvement 162 Are you playing to your advantage? 165 Big moves make for good strategy 166 8. Eight Shifts to Unlock Strategy 173 From annual planning ... to strategy as a journey 175 From getting to “yes” ... to debating real alternatives 177 From peanut butter ... to picking your 1-in-10s 181 From approving budgets ... to making big moves 184 From budget inertia ... to liquid resources 188 From sandbagging ... to open risk portfolios 190 From “you are your numbers” ... to a holistic performance view 193 From long-range planning ... to forcing the first step 196 The package deal 198 Epilogue: New Life in the Strategy Room 201 Acknowledgments 205 Appendix 207 About our sample and method 207 A note on economic profi t and total returns to shareholders 209 How the odds look different from the top or bottom 209 Life at the top 211 Life at the bottom 211 Notes 215 Index 227

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest entrepreneurial success stories of the past twenty yearsWhen a friend told Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank that you've just been hit in the ass by a golden horseshoe, they thought he was crazy. After all, both had just been fired. What the friend, Ken Langone, meant was that they now had the opportunity to create the kind of wide-open warehouse store that would help spark a consumer revolution through low prices, excellent customer service, and wide availability of products.Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people--and their associates--built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere twenty years. Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to

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Book SynopsisOur cities are changing. Global real estate is now a $217 trillion dollar industry, 36 times the value of all the gold ever mined. It makes up 60 percent of the world's assets, and the most powerful person in the world - the president of the United States - made his name as a landlord and real estate developer. As Samuel Stein makes clear in this tightly argued book, its through seemingly innocuous profession of city planners that we can best understand the transformations underway. Planners provide a window into the practical dynamics of urban change: the way the state uses and is used by organized capital, and the power of landlords and developers at every level of government. But crucially, planners also possess some of the powers we must leverage if we ever wish to reclaim our cities from real estate capital.Trade ReviewStein's lucid explanation for how we got to where we're at shines urgent light on the origins and development of what he incisively calls "the Real Estate State." Capital City places gentrification in a structurally extensive and intensive urban geography of dispossession. All who struggle for the right to the city should read this book, and realize afresh how capitalism saving capitalism from capitalism must provoke our political imagination. -- Ruth Wilson Gilmore, author of Golden GulagCapital City casts a cold and brilliant light on the underlying political dynamics of global cities and rightly concludes that real estate and finance are in charge. This sobering book has to be part of our toolkit as we try to find the moorings for a powerful democratic pushback in local political struggles. -- Frances Fox Piven, co-author of Poor People’s MovementsWant to know why the rent's so high? Samuel Stein meticulously documents and analyzes the rise of the rip-off "real estate state," the instruments of its power, the invidious "plansplaining" arguments of its defenders, and, above all, its accelerating ethnic and class cleansing of American cities, gentrification-frenzied New York in the van. With the sleaziest of real estate developers now the rent-subsidized tenant of the White House bent on engorging his crony kin and kith by doubling down on the corrupt system of "geobribe" giveaways, backroom deals, and public theft that underwrites their ravages, this superbly succinct and incisive book couldn't be more timely or urgent. -- Michael Sorkin, author of All Over the MapSamuel Stein has written a book for those tired of merely describing gentrification and displacement, who are looking for explanations as well as new programs for action to do more. Capital City is a place that puts it all together, the theory and the practices of urban transformation, with a timely and urgent appeal. This is a lively user's guide to thechanging landscape of the American city. -- Peter Marcuse, co-author of In Defense of Housing[Capital City] alternates a panoptic view with one that looks more closely, from the ground up, at what reckless development does to lives and livelihoods...Explicit in Stein's narrative is the idea that a different, more democratic kind of planning might lead us to more democratic kinds of cities. -- Nikil Saval * The New Yorker *Samuel Stein's Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State is a radical view into the heart of the processes [urban planners] oversee -- Andrea Gibbons * New Labor Forum *Capital City deserves attention from urban historians for its nuanced analysis of neoliberal urban policy and specific measures that generate inequality and may be also used in service of justice. This book will be a useful tool for a broad swath of people seeking a greater understanding of the urgency of this political moment which grows with every demolition. -- Amanda Boston * The Metropole *Vital and devastating ... [Capital City is] unabashed in its advocacy of a more equitable distribution of land and housing. ... A powerful companion to studies of the global rise of informal cities such as Mike Davis' Planet of Slums, the racist history of housing in Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law, [and] the horrid effects of losing one's home in Matthew Desmond's Evicted. -- Joshua Barnett * New York Labor History Association *

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Book SynopsisRoger Fisher is the Samuel Williston Professor Emeritus of Law, director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, and the founder of two consulting organisations devoted to strategic advice and negotiation training.William Ury is Associate Director of the Programme on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and is an internationally known specialist in negotiation.

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Book SynopsisExplains how the poor find solutions to their everyday financial problems by conducting year-long interviews with impoverished villagers and slum dwellers in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa - records that track penny by penny how specific households manage their money.Trade Review"A fascinating discussion of the finances of the world's poor."--Nicholas Kristof, NYTimes.com "Ten years ago, the authors of this unusual study began collecting detailed yearlong 'financial diaries' from households in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa... The diarists did things that might seem irrational--borrowing in order to save; paying interest on savings--but that made sense given their unpredictable incomes and limited options. While the authors do offer prescriptions for how to expand those options, it's their scrupulous attention to actual behavior that makes this book invaluable."--New Yorker "The book's methodology and conclusions are fascinating."--Publishers Weekly "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor found that a 'triple whammy' characterizes the financial lives of the poor. Incomes are not only low; they are also irregular and unpredictable... The authors' account suggests much that can be done to ease the financial conditions of poor people."--Anirudh Krishna, Science "A refreshingly distinct path. Portfolios of the Poor ... avoid[s] the big picture and zoom[s] in on the basics of daily poverty, exploring how poor families manage their money... The diaries reveal a 'real, ongoing, and substantial demand' for better financial services, which poor families need to provide better health care and schooling for their children... Rather than waiting for the world to debate and accept their ideas, these authors have taken them up on their own. In the war against global poverty, that feels like one small battle won."--Carlos Lozada, Washington Post "The research provides evidence of the sophistication with which poor people think about their finances."--The Economist "I recommend this book to anyone who has interest in improving the lives of the poor."--Melinda Gates, Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Huffington Post "This is a very interesting book, which examines the quite sophisticated financial system developed by poor households to adjust their spending relative to their income."--Choice "A masterly assessment of the financial needs of people on very low incomes ... stuffed full of interesting and surprising insights, and should be read by anyone concerned with economic development and poverty reduction. I can't praise it highly enough. This is a model of the careful collection of evidence with important practical consequences."--Diane Coyle, The Enlightened Economist "A good overview of how the world's poor intersect with financial institutions at the micro level."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "This book is a major contribution to the understanding of the situation of the poor in developing countries and should be a 'must reading' for both academics and policymakers concerned with ways of improving developmental policies."--Werner Baer, Enterprise and Society "[A] fascinating and humanizing insight into the economic lives of the global poor, and a valuable resource for attempting to improve those lives."--Ethics & International Affairs "The book is written in a non-technical style accessible to the lay reader... [I]t makes a compelling case about the desperation of poverty, as well as the ingenuity of the people who live under conditions of poverty."--Sajeda Amin, Population and Development Review "Portfolios of the Poor should be read by anyone interested in microfinance, but also who interested in poverty more generally and in how the poor manage their day-to-day lives."--Isabelle Guerin, Enterprise, Development and Microfinance "[T]his is a great book. It remains an excellent survey of the poors' realities, certainly a 'must-have' for all researchers interested in the financial practices of the poor and microfinance."--Marek Hudon, Development and Change "[T]he book is enlightening, methodologically credible and accessible; it is recommended."--Roger MacGinty, Round Table "[W]e learn much about how the poor manage whatever little money they have. On that ground alone I highly recommend the book."--Rolf A.E. Muller, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture "As Collins, Morduch, Rutherford, and Ruthven summarize their argument, 'Not having enough money is bad enough. Not being able to manage whatever money you have is worse.' Their book is a detailed effort to understand how poor people manage--and, frequently, mismanage--the meager resources at their disposal. They draw on more than 250 financial diaries collected in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa that tracked how money was earned and spent, along with interviews with the diarists. The result is a unique window onto what poverty means for these households."--Timothy Besley, Foreign Affairs "The authors of Portfolios of the Poor ... make a convincing case both for the importance of finance in the lives of the extremely poor and for there being room to improve the provision of financial services to them."--Danny Reviews "One of my favourite books. It gathers new evidence about the financial services people on very low incomes need--and the answers are sometimes surprising. Should be read by anyone with views on microcredit and/or payday loans."--Enlightened Economist "A terrific book."--Diane Coyle, Enlightened EconomistTable of ContentsList of Tables vii List of Figures ix Chapter One: The Portfolios of the Poor 1 Chapter Two: The Daily Grind 28 Chapter Three: Dealing with Risk 65 Chapter Four: Building Blocks: Creating Usefully Large Sums 95 Chapter Five: The Price of Money 132 Chapter Six: Rethinking Microfinance: The Grameen II Diaries 154 Chapter Seven: Better Portfolios 174 Appendix 1: The Story behind the Portfolios 185 Appendix 2: A Selection of Portfolios 211 Acknowledgments 243 Notes 247 Bibliography 265 Index 273

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Book SynopsisThe Butterfly Defect addresses the widening gap between the new systemic risks generated by globalization and their effective management. It shows how the dynamics of turbo-charged globalization has the potential and power to destabilize our societies. Drawing on the latest insights from a wide variety of disciplines, Ian Goldin and Mike MariathasaTrade ReviewFinalist for the 2015 Estoril Global Issues Distinguished Book Prize "[The authors demonstrate] that the increasing interconnectedness of the world makes the world's economics, infrastructure, health and social conditions behave [as] an interconnected meteorological system. The next big crisis will be of unexpected origin."--Professor Rober J. Shiller, Wall Street Journal "This is an important and thought-provoking book."--Shawn Donnan, Financial Times "This book covers many different sectors and points out that globalization brings opportunities as well as threats; readers from diverse professional and academic backgrounds will gain insights."--Library Journal "The arguments put forward are cohesive and coherent with well-constructed logical chapters, good, well thought out examples and jargon free language... Upon reflection of this book, I was left with a clear and defined picture of how systemic risk effects systems and how globalization inherently increases these risks."--Jason Paul Stansbie, Leonardo Reviews "Although the authors' prose is clear and unburdened by jargon, the nature of the topic means this is not a light read. But it will reward the persistent. The issues they raise, and the interconnections they identify, are such that specialists will come away with a deeper understanding of the risks involved in each of the specific fields they cover... To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, this book should be widely read not because it is easy, but because it is hard."--Survival Global Politics and Strategy "In this context of uncertainty about the future of globalization, the book is a very timely intervention, as it focuses exactly on the risks created by the process of globalization itself. The authors have formidable expertise."--Dariusz Wojcik, Journal of Economic Geography "A timely addition to the nascent literature on CT-inspired methods and models... Bound to trigger debate and invite (if not beckon) its readers to pursue further the ideas discussed on its pages."--Emilian Kavalski, Political Studies ReviewTable of ContentsList of Boxes, Illustrations, and Tables ix Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii Introduction 1 1 Globalization and Risk in the Twenty-First Century 9 Globalization and Integration 10 Global Connectivity and Complex Systems 13 Globalization and the Changing Nature of Risk 23 Globalization: A Double-Edged Sword 30 The Way Forward 33 2 The Financial Sector 36 with Co-Pierre Georg and Tiffany Vogel The Financial Crisis of 2007/2008 37 Financial Globalization in the Twenty-First Century 39 Complexity and Systemic Risk 54 Global Financial Governance 60 Lessons for the Financial Sector 64 3 Supply Chain Risks 70 Global Supply Chains 72 Supply Chain Risk 79 From Management of Risk to Risk Management 90 Lessons for Supply Chain Management 95 4 Infrastructure Risks 100 Transportation 101 Energy 105 The Internet 112 Lessons for Global Infrastructure 120 5 Ecological Risks 123 The Nature of Environmental Risk 124 Risks from the Environment 129 Risks to the Environment 133 Can Globalization Be Good for the Environment? 138 The Export of Pollution 139 Lessons for Managing Environmental Risk 141 6 Pandemics and Health Risks 144 Pandemic Risk 145 Globalization and Health Risks 147 Case Studies 150 Noninfectious Diseases 159 Global Cooperation and Disease Control 160 Lessons from Pandemic Management 164 7 Inequality and Social Risks 168 Global Integration and Inequality 169 The Channels of Inequality 180 The Risks of Inequality 181 Lessons for Challenging Global Inequalities 195 8 Managing Systemic Risk 198 Moving Forward, Not Backward 200 Confronting a New Challenge? 202 The Need to Reform Global Governance 206 Why Reform Has Been So Sluggish 209 Lessons for Global Policy Reform 212 Managing Systemic Risk 219 Notes 221 References 257 Index 285

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Book SynopsisThis revised second edition of Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle provides a rigorous graduate-level introduction to the New Keynesian framework and its applications to monetary policy. The New Keynesian framework is the workhorse for the analysis of monetary policy and its implications for inflation, economic fluctuations, and welfTrade ReviewPraise for the previous edition: "A state-of-the-art treatment of the emerging New Keynesian synthesis by one of the leaders in the field, Gali's book is a must-read for the next generation of macroeconomists."--N. Gregory Mankiw, Harvard University Praise for the previous edition: "Authoritative. This book will be very useful to graduate students and to others seeking an introduction to modern work in this area."--Michael Woodford, Columbia University Praise for the previous edition: "This is a wonderfully elegant and accessible introduction to the contemporary New Keynesian paradigm, written by one of the leading experts in the field. This monograph presents what one should know in a clean, cogent, and concise manner. I fully expect it to become a standard reference for both students and researchers in the field."--Mark Gertler, New York University Praise for the previous edition: "Jordi Gali provides an authoritative overview of the research that revolutionized monetary economics during the past decade, by embedding sticky prices in a coherent dynamic general equilibrium framework--thus providing a novel and much clearer positive and normative analysis of monetary policy. The presentation is elegant and intuitive, yet rigorous. The book will be a standard reference for graduate students, researchers, and policymakers. It is also highly recommended as a textbook for money/macro courses. Numerous useful exercises are provided."--Robert Kollmann, European Center for Advanced Research in Economics and Statistics, Free University of Brussels Praise for the previous edition: "This book provides an excellent introduction and exegesis of the New Keynesian model that is the current state of the art in the analysis of monetary policy. It will find a large audience with research economists, graduate students, and staffers in central banks around the world."--Philip R. Lane, Trinity College Dublin Praise for the previous edition: "Systematic and concise. This is a fine book that is likely to become the key basic text for graduate courses on monetary policy."--Seppo Honkapohja, University of Cambridge Praise for the previous edition: "With this book, magician Gali has pulled another important rabbit out of his hat. The book will help to increase the popularity of the New Keynesian model with graduate students, tomorrow's policymakers, and today's policymakers alike. Therefore, it can be considered a real grassroots initiative."--Christian Merkl, Journal of EconomicsTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 A Classical Monetary Model 17 CHAPTER 3 The Basic New Keynesian Model 52 CHAPTER 4 Monetary Policy Design in the Basic New Keynesian Model 98 CHAPTER 5 Monetary Policy Tradeoffs: Discretion versus Commitment 126 CHAPTER 6 A Model with Sticky Wages and Prices 163 CHAPTER 7 Unemployment in the New Keynesian Model 199 CHAPTER 8 Monetary Policy in the Open Economy 223 CHAPTER 9 Lessons, Extensions, and New Directions 261 Index 271

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Book SynopsisThe best way to secure yourself against being 'let go' in the modern economy is to rise to a level within the corporation where you are making the strategic decisions, not bearing the brunt of their consequences. It may be tough at the top, but it's dangerous in the middle -- and the rewards at the top are far greater. Machiavellian Intelligence argues that many intelligent and hard-working professionals with good leadership skills fail to maximize their career potential because of a number of instinctive 'good' habits - things that make them highly effective executives, well-liked and respected by their colleagues, but which are not best designed to take them to the very top of their chosen career.

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Book SynopsisSince its origins in the 1920s as a refrigerator factory in Qingdao supplying the Chinese market, Haier has risen to become a major multinational company, overtaking the likes of Whirlpool and LG, to become the world's leading manufacturer of household appliances today, with revenues of $30 billion. How did Haier achieve this amazing feat? This book examines Haier's organizational transformation, which can be traced back to 1984 when Zhang Ruimin (Haier's current CEO) joined the company, and which became the essence of Haier's sustained competitive advantage. In particular, it looks at the "RDHY Win-Win Model of Employee-Customer Integration", the latest management practice in Haier, which has had a profound effect on the company's performance, and which has captured the attention of academics and managers around the world.

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Book SynopsisIn the social sciences today, students are taught theory by reading and analyzing the works of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and other foundational figures of the discipline. What they rarely learn, however, is how to actually theorize. The Art of Social Theory is a practical guide to doing just that. In this one-of-a-kind user's manual for social theorisTrade Review"[C]oncise and readable... Writing in accessible language and using the canon of social theorists to illustrate points, Swedberg meets a need for practitioners and students alike."--ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction: Why Theorize and Can You Learn to Do It? 1 Part 1: How to Theorize Chapter 1. Starting Anew 13 Chapter 2. Social Observation 29 Chapter 3. Naming, Concept, and Typology 52 Chapter 4. Analogy, Metaphor, and Pattern 80 Chapter 5. Coming Up with an Explanation 98 Part 2: Preparing for Theorizing Chapter 6. Heuristics 127 Chapter 7. Practical Exercises 146 Chapter 8. The Role of Theory 169 Chapter 9. Imagination and Art 188 Chapter 10. Summary and More 210 Appendix: How to Theorize according to Charles S. Peirce 230 Acknowledgments 249 Notes 251 References 253 Index 279

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Douglass C. North Research Award, Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics (SIOE) Shortlisted for the 2016 Ralph Waldo Emerson Award, Phi Beta Kappa Society One of Flavorwire's 10 Must-Read Academic Books for 2015 One of HistoryBuff.com's 10 Can't-Miss History Books of 2015 "Superb."--Armand Marie Leroi, New York Times "In the late fourth century B.C., Aristotle and his students collected the constitutions of more than 150 [...] city-states. The scholar who would today follow in Aristotle's footsteps has to deal with a far more formidable mass of data. Few of today's scholars control more of this data, or write about it more insightfully, than Josiah Ober. [T]hose willing to put in the effort will learn much from the deep meditations of an expert historian and political philosopher."--James Romm, Wall Street Journal "[T]his could turn out to be Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for classical Greece."--Jonathan Sturgeon, Flavorwire "Ober marshals a wealth of new data to make the case for a much different view of Greek history ... there was something distinct about the Greek world, he argues. What set the Greeks apart, he says, was their choice of a particular kind of order--and the cultural attitudes that went with it. Citizen self-government. Equality of standing among persons. Fair and open institutions. These ideas, unusual in history, were well developed in the Greek world, Ober notes. If we care about them, he says, we should pay attention."--Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education "[Ober's] central argument is that the achievements of Greek civilization were rooted in its prosperity, and that was the result of a rough economic and political equality... [He] ranges over a half millennium of Greek history, from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BCE, seeking the roots of Greek "efflorescence"--its material and cultural flourishing... [The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece] is rife with parallels to the present."--Brian Bethune, Macleans "An attractive, informative, and timely picture of Greece from Homer to Aristotle... It's an absorbing story full of excitement, drama and hope."--Evaggelos Valiantos, Huffington Post "A sharp and insightful economic history."--Daisy Dunn, History Today [The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece] is by far [Ober's] most ambitious work to date, a magisterial tour of the successes and failures of various city-states throughout the Greek world from the archaic through the Hellenistic periods... The thrust of the book is not just provocative but persuasive."--Adriaan Lanni, The New Rambler "This book is a groundbreaking examination of what Ober (political science, Stanford) calls the 'efflorescence' of ancient Greece, which, divided into some 1,100 city-states as it was, developed a unified, dominant culture."--Choice "His narrative history of Greek efflorescence is engaging and full of insights."--Richard Seaford, Literary Review "A thought-provoking book with great depth. As the great political theorists of the modern era have always known, the ancient Greek experience provides immense empirical material to mine for insights into political science: how we design rules of politics to secure human freedom and well-being. We ignore the experience of classical civilization to our own disadvantage."--Jason Sorens, The American Conservative "This challenging book is like no other history of the ancient world... [Ober] produces some engaging and striking analyses of familiar historical episodes."--American Historical Review "Intriguing... [Y]ou can think of this book as how an economist might think about ancient Greece."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "[Ober's] work will be of interest to anyone who is serious about the history of political economy, or who wants to know more about the relationship between democracy, economic growth, and human flourishing, whether in the ancient or modern world... The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece ... will richly reward a serious lay reader. One of its most appealing qualities is its multidisciplinary approach, which is the fruit of Ober's extensive and generously acknowledged collaboration with scholars from around the world as well as with his Stanford colleagues in a number of fields, including the sciences. In this respect, it points in a direction that future humanities scholars will need to go if they, too, wish to flourish."--David Wharton, Weekly Standard "A fresh and vigorous account about the roots of democracy."--Brian A. Pavlac, Canadian Journal of HistoryTable of ContentsList of Images and Tables xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xxi Abbreviations xxv 1 The Efflorescence of Classical Greece 1 2 Ants around a Pond: An Ecology of City-States 21 3 Political Animals: A Theory of Decentralized Cooperation 45 4 Wealthy Hellas: Measuring Efflorescence 71 5 Explaining Hellas' Wealth: Fair Rules and Competition 101 6 Citizens and Specialization before 550 BCE 123 7 From Tyranny to Democracy, 550-465 BCE 157 8 Golden Age of Empire, 478-404 BCE 191 9 Disorder and Growth, 403-340 BCE 223 10 Political Fall, 359-334 BCE 261 11 Creative Destruction and Immortality 293 Appendix I: Regions of the Greek World: Population, Size, Fame 317 Appendix II: King, City, and Elite Game, Josiah Ober and Barry Weingast 321 Notes 329 Bibliography 367 Index 401

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Estoril Global Issues Distinguished Book Prize 2013In 1412, Europe was a miserable backwater ravaged by plague, bad sanitation and incessant war, while the Orient was home to dazzling civilizations. Yet, somehow, the West came to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium.In this vital, brilliant book, Niall Ferguson reveals the six ''killer applications'' that the Rest lacked: competition, science, property rights, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic. And he asks: do we still have these winning tools? Or is this the end of Western ascendancy?''Brilliantly written, full of wit and virtuosity, stuffed with memorable lines and gorgeous bits of information. A great read'' The Times''A dazzling history of Western ideas ... epic'' Economist''Vivid and fascinating'' Daily Telegraph''Superb ... brings history alive ... dazzling'' Independent''This is sharp. It feels urgent. Ferguson ... twists his knife with great literary brio'' Andrew Marr, Financial TimesTrade ReviewFerguson is the most brilliant British historian of his generation ... he writes with splendid panache * The Times *One of the world's leading historians -- Hamish McRae * Independent *Civilization is another masterpiece ... a pulsing energy suffuses his account [and] fascinating facts burst like fireworks on every page -- Dominic Lawson * Sunday Times *This is sharp. It feels urgent. Ferguson, with a properly financially literate mind, twists his knife with great literary brio -- Andrew Marr * Financial Times *A dazzling history of Western ideas * Economist *

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Book SynopsisA graduate-level text which describes the recent dramatic changes that have taken place in the way that researchers analyze economic and financial time series. It explores such important innovations as vector regression, nonlinear time series models and the generalized methods of moments.Trade Review"A carefully prepared and well written book... Without doubt, it can be recommended as a very valuable encyclopedia and textbook for a reader who is looking for a mainly theoretical textbook which combines traditional time series analysis with a review of recent research areas."--Journal of EconomicsTable of ContentsPreface1Difference Equations12Lag Operators253Stationary ARMA Processes434Forecasting725Maximum Likelihood Estimation1176Spectral Analysis1527Asymptotic Distribution Theory1808Linear Regression Models2009Linear Systems of Simultaneous Equations23310Covariance-Stationary Vector Processes25711Vector Autoregressions29112Bayesian Analysis35113The Kalman Filter37214Generalized Method of Moments40915Models of Nonstationary Time Series43516Processes with Deterministic Time Trends45417Univariate Processes with Unit Roots47518Unit Roots in Multivariate Time Series54419Cointegration57120Full-Information Maximum Likelihood Analysis of Cointegrated Systems63021Time Series Models of Heteroskedasticity65722Modeling Time Series with Changes in Regime677A Mathematical Review704B Statistical Tables751C Answers to Selected Exercises769D Greek Letters and Mathematical Symbols Used in the Text786Author Index789Subject Index792

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Book SynopsisThe Wealth of Nationsby Adam SmithIt is symbolic that Adam Smith’s masterpiece of economic analysis, The Wealth of Nations, was first published in 1776, the same year as the Declaration of Independence. In his book, Smith fervently extolled the simple yet enlightened notion that individuals are fully capable of setting and regulating prices for their own goods and services. He argued passionately in favor of free trade, yet stood up for the little guy. The Wealth of Nations provided the first--and still the most eloquent--integrated description of the workings of a market economy.The result of Smith’s efforts is a witty, highly readable work of genius filled with prescient theories that form the basis of a thriving capitalist system. This unabridged edition offers the modern reader a fresh look at a timeless and seminal work that revolutionized the way governments and individuals view the creation and dispersion of wea

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Book SynopsisDr Thomas J Stanley is an author, lecturer and researcher who has studied the affluent since 1973. His previous books are the number one New York Times bestseller The Millionaire Next Door and Marketing to the Affluent, and his work is frequently cited in the American media. He lives in Atlanta.Trade ReviewReaders with an entreprenerial turn of mind will devour The Millionaire Mind because it provides road maps on how millionaires found their niches * USA Today *

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Book SynopsisTom Hopkins earned himself over one million dollars in his first three years as a salesman. Here, in his first book, he sets down the key secrets of his success.

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Book SynopsisThe 10th anniversary edition of the classic guide to handling life''s toughest conversationsWhat is a difficult conversation?Asking for a pay rise, saying ''no'' to your boss or spouse, confronting a friend, apologizing. We all have conversations that we dread and find unpleasant. But can we develop the skills to make such situations less stressful and more productive?Based on fifteen years of research and consultations with thousands of people, Difficult Conversations pinpoints what works. It teaches us to work through them by understanding that we''re not engaging in one dialogue but three:- The what happened conversation (what do we believe was said and done)- The feelings conversation (the emotional impact on everyone involved) - The identity conversation (what does this mean for everyone''s opinion of themselves)Use this ground-breaking, step-by-step book to turn your difficult conversations into positive, pro

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