Business, Finance & Law Books

Book SynopsisThis rigorous but brilliantly lucid book presents a self-contained treatment of modern economic dynamics. Stokey, Lucas, and Prescott develop the basic methods of recursive analysis and illustrate the many areas where they can usefully be applied.Trade ReviewThe book is a tour de force. The authors present a unified approach to the techniques and applications of recursive economic theory. The presentations of discrete-time dynamic programming and of Markov processes are authoritative. There is a wide-ranging series of examples drawn from all branches of the discipline, but with special emphasis on macroeconomics. In the short run, the book will be a vital reference in any advanced course in macroeconomic theory. In the long run, it may help to remove the traditional boundaries between microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory. -- Andrew Caplin, Columbia UniversityThis book is a wonderful collection of results on the techniques of dynamic programming with great applications to economics written by giants in the field. -- Sanford J. Grossman, University of PennsylvaniaA magnificent work that is bound to have immense influence on the ways economists think about dynamic systems for many years to come. My own guess is that this book will eventually acquire the stature, say, of Hicks’s Value and Capital or Samuelson’s Foundations. -- Thomas J. Sargent, The Hoover InstitutionTable of ContentsI. THE RECURSIVE APPROACH 1. Introduction 2. An Overview 2.1 A Deterministic Model of Optimal Growth 2.2 A Stochastic Model of Optimal Growth 2.3 Competitive Equilibrium Growth 2.4 Conclusions and Plans II. DETERMINISTIC MODELS 3. Mathematical Preliminaries 3.1 Metric Spaces and Normed Vector Spaces 3.2 The Contraction Mapping Theorem 3.3 The Theorem of the Maximum 4. Dynamic Programming under Certainty 4.1 The Principle of Optimality 4.2 Bounded Returns 4.3 Constant Returns to Scale 4.4 Unbounded Returns 4.5 Euler Equations 5. Applications of Dynamic Programming under Certainty 5.1 The One-Sector Model of Optimal Growth 5.2 A "Cake-Eating" Problem 5.3 Optimal Growth with Linear Utility 5.4 Growth with Technical Progress 5.5 A Tree-Cutting Problem 5.6 Learning by Doing 5.7 Human Capital Accumulation 5.8 Growth with Human Capital 5.9 Investment with Convex Costs 5.10 Investment with Constant Returns 5.11 Recursive Preferences 5.12 Theory of the Consumer with Recursive Preferences 5.13 A Pareto Problem with Recursive Preferences 5.14 An (s, S) Inventory Problem 5.15 The Inventory Problem in Continuous Time 5.16 A Seller with Unknown Demand 5.17 A Consumption-Savings Problem 6. Deterministic Dynamics 6.1 One-Dimensional Examples 6.2 Global Stability: Liapounov Functions 6.3 Linear Systems and Linear Approximations 6.4 Euler Equations 6.5 Applications III. STOCHASTIC MODELS 7. Measure Theory and Integration 7.1 Measurable Spaces 7.2 Measures 7.3 Measurable Functions 7.4 Integration 7.5 Product Spaces 7.6 The Monotone Class Lemma

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Book SynopsisHunter weaves a rich tapestry of the culture and experience of black women workers in the post-Civil War South. Using a variety of sources, she follows African-American working women from their newfound optimism and hope at the end of the Civil War to their struggles as free domestic laborers in the homes of their former masters.Trade ReviewThe Emancipation Proclamation did not bring freedom to the four million African-Americans who lived in slavery in 1863. Instead, blacks had to claim and define that freedom in tens of thousands of acts of self-assertion during the decades that followed slavery's legal demise. To 'Joy My Freedom vividly depicts one neglected aspect of that struggle by focusing on the lives of urban black women, in particular those who worked as domestic laborers in the post-Civil War South. -- Drew Gilpin Faust * New York Times Book Review *Tera Hunter's imaginative uncovering of these struggles in Atlanta challenges conventional understandings of what is work and who is a worker. It represents the best of the recent marriage of labor history and cultural studies. It builds on feminist theory, which has expanded the conception of labor to include housework, mother-work, and sex work...Grounded in Atlanta's rise from Sherman's ashes, this is no ordinary community study. It addresses a major theme in Southern history: the contestation between freedom with Emancipation and its violent restriction with disfranchisement and Jim Crow...To restore the voices of the black masses is itself a form of hard work. Hunter's genius is to read against the grain of police reports and planter diaries as well as to mine newspapers to recover stories sometimes only seen through shadows cast on white society. -- Eileen Boris * The Nation *Historian Tera W. Hunter looks at how black working-class women defined and experienced freedom between the Civil War and the World War I-era 'Great Migration' of blacks northward, a period when they were excluded from electoral politics as well as from most grass-roots union organizing. Hunter shows that these women saw their work as a means to shore up their self-ownership after slavery, rather than as an end in itself. Black women negotiatied work conditions and, when they found these unacceptable, they quit. The dramatic centerpiece of Hunter's book is a threatened strike by black Atlanta washerwomen in the summer fo 1881...To 'Joy My Freedom is a worthwhile read, powerfully evoking the chaos of the Civil War and the transition of black women workers from slave to free and from rural to urban people. It joins a growing canon that points to the development of political consciousness among black working-class women. -- Dale Edwyna Smith * Washington Post Book World *Tera Hunter's book is a meticulously researched, cogently argued analysis of the `dialectic of repression and resistance' shaping the lives of African American women in the postbellum South. Better still, it's a terrifically told story--a tale of everyday women doing the radical work of defining and demanding freedom for themselves and their communities in a country largely hell-bent on denying them their rights. -- Cynthia Dobbs * San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle *Hunter's achievement in bringing these black women's stories to life is remarkable. Scouring newspaper accounts, personal diaries, household records, government reports and political cartoons, Hunter has reconstructed the myths and stereotypes about black female workers in and around Atlanta. In the process, she sheds light on a chapter of American history and the Southern labor movement that has heretofore remained unexamined...To 'Joy My Freedom is a brilliant reconstruction of New South history...Analytical and objective as this work of history is, [it] is also written with such passion that the stories of these women and the events that shaped their lives--and American history--reads like the best fiction. Hunter's work is a tour de force, valuable and prophetic as America continues to struggle with the issues of work, fairness, sex and race. -- Paula L. Woods * Atlanta Journal/Constitution *In To 'Joy My Freedom, Tera W. Hunter charts the efforts of African-American women in Atlanta to live fulfilling lives despite an all-pervasive racism, which was most terrifying in the city's infamous race riot of 1906...One can only applaud Hunter's efforts to recover the experience of her subjects from obscurity. * Times Literary Supplement *Tera Hunter's book is an exemplary effort to illuminate the particular history of black women domestic workers in Atlanta. By painstakingly pulling together disparate sources, she fashions a story of resistance and backlash that illustrates how these women bravely attempted to achieve true freedom in the face of attacks on their femininity, the stigma of tuberculosis, and outright mob violence. Her account skillfully integrates the oppressive nature of dominant gender roles, the role of class in intraracial subordination, and disease as stigma, although the reasons for the attachment of this stigma particularly to black washerwomen remains unclear. Overall, Hunter succeeds in showing the complexities of a fifty-year struggle by black women workers, who, in their words, fought "to 'joy my freedom." -- Bayo Holsey * Transforming Anthropology *To 'Joy My Freedom is a new departure in recent written history of African American women. Here, working-class women take center stage while black middle-class and elite woman are peripheral. For those who fear tackling the history of women whose personal records are few to nonexistent, Tera W. Hunter's book is at once instructive on how to write such a history and an example of a sophisticated blend of labor, social, and cultural history...Rich in detail and told with compassion and understanding, To 'Joy My Freedom fills in the gaps between contemporary histories of slavery and middle-class female uplift reform. Hunter demonstrates that professional skill, exhaustive research, and ingenious use of sources can give voice to people who leave few personal records and who do not show up in organizational minutes. -- Deborah Gray White * Journal of American History *Tera W. Hunter has written a superb study of the lives and labors of some of the African-American women who struggled through the violent upheaval of emancipation and the crushing imposition of racial segregation in the American South from the Civil War to the 1920s. Hunter's sparkling prose, extensive reading of a wide range of texts, and layered, complex and incisive analysis reveal the work of an impressively humane, imaginative, and mature historian. Her acute descriptions of local conditions and cogent insights into the larger historical context stunningly illuminate the dynamics of race, class, and gender as they played out on the frightening, brutal terrain of southern segregation...Her text constantly engages and re-engages the reader, helping us to imagine the lives of dozens of individuals who walk through the pages of history...This study is a triumph of research, astute analysis, and engaging imagination that deserves to be widely read by students of African-American, labor, and women's studies and of American history. -- Michael Honey * American Historical Review *At the end of the Civil War newly emancipated women moved to Atlanta to find employment as household labourers and washerwomen. This is a study of the workplace experiences and everyday culture of these black working women in the period until the beginning of World War I. Tracing the ways they constructed their own world of work, culture and community organization, Professor Hunter argues that their experiences and efforts were central to the African-American struggle for freedom and justice. The implementation of Jim Crow laws and segregation from the 1880s onward, however, spurred growing numbers of black working women to migrate to the North. * International Review of Social History *Hunter offers valuable explorations into the complexities of African American feminine laborers and the contextualization of their lives. She is to be applauded for providing scholars with easier access to source materials, particularly primary sources. An important contribution to suffragist activism, feminist scholarship, and African American studies. * Library Journal *To 'Joy My Freedom is a tour de force. Moving deftly between white households and black communities, churches and blues clubs, city hall and city streets, Tera Hunter brings black domestic workers alive, body and soul, smashing all stereotypes along the way. By placing black working class women at the center of her narrative, she rewrites the history of the New South and the nation. Her vibrant, complex, beautifully rendered portrait of black working women's struggles at the dawn of the century will move you as surely as it will alter the way we write history. -- Robin D. G. Kelley, New York UniversityBy bringing to life the experiences, aspirations, and struggles of the black domestic workers of Atlanta, Tera Hunter opens a new window on the study of emancipation and its aftermath and, in so doing, tremendously enriches our understanding of Reconstruction and the New South. -- Eric Foner, Columbia UniversityTo 'Joy My Freedom is a work of utmost originality and significance. Tera Hunter brings the virtually invisible world of black working-class women to life [and then] uses those lives as a vantage point from which to reconsider the transition from slavery to freedom, the nature of southern Progressivism, the Great Migration of blacks out of the South during World War I, and the relationship and tensions between work, play, and politics in the New South. -- Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillWith great breadth, sensitivity, and intellectual integrity, Tera Hunter reorients southern history toward the urban working class. This tour de force further liberates African-American history from the need always to relate to whites. Bravo! -- Nell Irvin Painter, Princeton UniversityHunter illuminates the lives of newly emancipated Black women workers in postbellum Atlanta…This book is the story of a new world, built by Black women, with and for each other. -- Daisy Pitkin * Literary Hub *Table of ContentsPreface Prologue "Answering Bells Is Played Out": Slavery and the Civil War Reconstruction and the Meanings of Freedom Working-Class Neighborhoods and Everyday Life "Washing Amazons" and Organized Protests The "Color Line" Gives Way to the "Color Wall" Survival and Social Welfare in the Age of Jim Crow "Wholesome" and "Hurtful" Amusements "Dancing and Carousing the Night Away" Tuberculosis as the "Negro Servants Disease" "Looking for a Free State to Live In" Tables Notes Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisRather than placing emphasis on mechanics and fixed solutions, Keeney argues, we should focus on the bottom-line objectives that give decisionmaking its meaning: through recognizing and articulating fundamental values, we can better identify decision opportunitiesand thereby create better decision alternatives.Trade Review[Value-Focused Thinking] is both an inspired and inspiring book. It is also a rarity among academic and business texts: it is a 'damn good read.' Keeney writes well, arguing his case clearly in the abstract and illustrating it through numerous interesting and pertinent examples. -- Simon French * Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis *Outstanding...Innovative thinking. * Decision Analysis Newsletter *Value-Focused Thinking clearly demonstrates the problems occurring in commercial and other organizations as a result of restricting decision choice to the available alternatives (alternative-focused thinking), rather than starting by considering what it is intended to achieve (value-focused thinking). * Observer *Table of ContentsPART 1: Concepts 1. Thinking about Values 1.1 Value-Focused Thinking 1.2 Creating Alternatives 1.3 Identifying Decision Opportunities 1.4 Thinking about Values 1.5 The Uses of Value-Focused Thinking 2. The Framework of Value-Focused Thinking 2.1 Framing a Decision Situation 2.2 Fundamental Objectives 2.3 The Decision Context 2.4 Guiding Strategic Thinking and Action 2.5 The Framework 2.6 Comparing Alternative-Focused and Value-Focused Thinking 2.7 Ethics and Value Neutrality Part 2: Foundations 3. Identifying and Structuring Objectives 3.1 Identifying Objectives 3.2 Identifying Fundamental Objectives 3.3 Structures of Objectives 3.4 How to Structure Objectives 3.5 Desirable Properties of Fundamental Objectives 3.6 Relating Objectives Hierarchies and Objectives Networks 3.7 Incomplete Objectives Hierarchies and Networks 3.8 Objectives Hierarchies for Groups 4. Measuring the Achievement of Objectives 4.1 The Concept of an Attribute 4.2 The Types of Attributes 4.3 Developing Constructed Attributes 4.4 Use of Proxy Attributes 4.5 Desirable Properties of Attributes 4.6 The Decision of Selecting Attributes 4.7 Connecting Decision Situations with Attributes 5. Quantifying Objectives with a Value Model 5.1 Building a Value Model 5.2 Multiple-Objective Value Models 5.3 Single-Objective Value Models 5.4 Prioritizing Objectives 5.5 The Art of Assessing Value Models 5.6 Issues to Consider in Value Assessments Part 3: Uses 6. Uncovering Hidden Objectives 6.1 Insights from Attributes 6.2 Insights from Violations of Independence Assumptions 6.3 Insights from Value Tradeoffs 6.4 Insights from Single-Attribute Objective Functions 6.5 Insights from Multiple Value Assessments 7. Creating Alternatives for a Single Decisionmaker 7.1 Counteracting Cognitive Biases 7.2 Use of Objectives 7.3 Use of Strategic Objectives 7.4 Focus on High-Value Alternatives 7.5 Use of Evaluated Alternatives 7.6 Generic Alternatives 7.7 Coordinated Alternatives 7.8 Process Alternatives 7.9 Removing Constraints 7.10 Better Utilization of Resources 7.11 Screening to Identify Good Alternatives 7.12 Alternatives for a Series of Similar Decisions 8. Creating Alternatives for Multiple Decisionmakers 8.1 Pleasing Other Stakeholders 8.2 Stakeholder Influence on Your Consequences 8.3 Clarifying Stakeholder Values for Group Decisions 8.4 Creating Alternatives for Negotiations 9. Identifying Decision Opportunities 9.1 Use of Strategic Objectives 9.2 Use of Resources Available 9.3 A Broader Decision Context 9.4 Monitoring Achievement 9.5 Establishing a Process 9.6 Negotiating for Your Side and for the Other Side 9.7 Being in the Right Place at the Right Time 9.8 When You Have No Idea about What to Do 10. Insights for the Decisionmaking Process 10.1 Guiding Information Collection 10.2 Evaluating Alternatives 10.3 Interconnecting Decisions 10.4 Improving Communication 10.5 Facilitating Involvement in Multiple-Stakeholder Decisions 10.6 Guiding Strategic Thinking Part 4: Applications 11. Selected Applications 11.1 NASA Leadership in Space 11.2 Transporting Nuclear Waste 11.3 Research on Climate Change 11.4 Air Pollution in Los Angeles 11.5 Design of Integrated Circuit Testers 11.6 Collaborating on a Book 12. Value-Focused Thinking at British Columbia Hydra 12.1 Identification and Structuring of the Strategic Objectives 12.2 First Revision of the Strategic Objectives and the Preliminary Attributes 12.3 Current Version of the Strategic Objectives and Attributes 12.4 The Quantitative Value Assessment 12.5 Insights from the Value Assessment 12.6 Decision Opportunities 13. Value-Focused Thinking for My Decisions 13.1 Strategic Objectives for Life 13.2 Guiding Involvement in Professional Activities 13.3 Decisions about Health and Safety 13.4 Professional Decisions 13.5 Personal Decisions 13.6 Value-Focused Thinking and You References Index of Applications and Examples General Index

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Book SynopsisAn innovator in contemporary thought on economic and political development looks here at decline rather than growth. Hirschman makes a basic distinction between alternative ways of reacting to deterioration in business firms and, in general, to dissatisfaction with organizations.Trade ReviewHirschman’s work changes how you see the world. It illuminates yesterday, today, and tomorrow… His most important [book]. -- Cass R. Sunstein * New York Review of Books *A 126-page burst of lucidity… [Hirschman’s] masterwork. -- Roger Lowenstein * Wall Street Journal *One of the masterpieces of contemporary political thought. -- Malcolm Gladwell * New Yorker *This unusual and subtle book is…an exercise in interdisciplinary analysis focused on the interaction between market and non-market forces affecting the process of development and decline… Professor Hirschman develops a theory of loyalty as a key factor in the interaction between voice and exit: loyalty is shown to postpone exit and to make voice more effective through the possibility of exit. * The Economic Journal *This is an imaginative little book. Its message should be of use to economists, political scientists, and all those interested in policy questions related to these areas. Hirschman starts his argument by assuming that in time all organizations (firms, bureaus, political parties, governments, and so on) develop slack and experience a deterioration in the quality of their output. The clients of a declining organization have two options for reversing this trend: exit and voice. And much of the book is devoted to an explication of the ways in which these options operate, their relative advantages and weaknesses, the interdependence between them… It is in these discussions of current problems and institutions, however, that I find the book most rewarding. His basic point, that there exists a symbiosis between exit and voice, is certainly valid and significant. Its importance gets driven home by the way Hirschman applies the idea to various current issues. One emerges from the book feeling he has obtained a new analytic insight into policy questions which can be applied again and again. -- Dennis C. Mueller * Public Policy *Professor Hirschman’s small book is bursting with new ideas. The economist has typically assumed that dissatisfaction with an organization’s product is met by withdrawal of demand, while the political scientist thinks rather of the protests possible within the organization. Hirschman argues that both processes are at work and demonstrates beautifully by analysis and example that their interaction has surprising implications, a theory that illuminates strikingly many important economic and political phenomena of the day. The whole argument is developed with an extraordinary richness of reference to many societies and cultures. -- Kenneth J. ArrowThere is, of course, no substitute for a mind as original, playful, subtle, and fresh as Hirschman’s. -- Stanley HoffmannThis is a marvelously perceptive essay which illuminates some of the most interesting economic and social questions of our time. I have read it with enormous interest and admiration, and the further pleasure that one has in being with an author who can think things through. -- John Kenneth GalbraithI read Exit, Voice, and Loyalty with absolute fascination and found that it pulled together, in organized form, many random glimmerings that I had previously understood only dimly. -- Joseph KraftTable of Contents1. Introduction and Doctrinal Background Enter "exit" and "voice" Latitude for deterioration, and slack in economic thought Exit and voice as impersonations of economics and politics 2. Exit How the exit option works Competition as collusive behavior 3. Voice Voice as a residual of exit Voice as an alternative to exit 4. A Special Difficulty in Combining Exit and Voice 5. How Monopoly Can be Comforted by Competition 6. On Spatial Duopoly and the Dynamics of Two-Party Systems 7. A Theory of Loyalty The activation of voice as a function of loyalty Loyalist behavior as modified by severe initiation and high penalties for exit Loyalty and the difficult exit from public goods (and evils) 8. Exit and Voice in American Ideology and Practice 9. The Elusive Optimal Mix of Exit and Voice Appendixes A. A simple diagrammatic representation of voice and exit B. The choice between voice and exit C. The reversal phenomenon D. Consumer reactions to price rise and quality decline in the case of several connoisseur goods F. The effects of severity of initiation on activism: design for an experiment (in collaboration with Philip G. Zimbardo and Mark Snyder) Index

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Book SynopsisCreativity is crucial to business success. But too often, even the most innovative organization quickly becomes a giant hairball--a tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, traditions, and systems, all based on what worked in the past--that exercises an inexorable pull into mediocrity. Gordon McKenzie worked at Hallmark Cards for thirty years, many of which he spent inspiring his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit--to a mode of dreaming, daring and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind-set. In his deeply funny book, exuberantly illustrated in full color, he shares the story of his own professional evolution, together with lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius.Originally self-published and already a business cult classic, this personally empowering and entertaining look at the intersection between human creativity and the bottom line is now widely available to bookstores. It will be a must-read for any m

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Book SynopsisIn his application of statistical methods to history, Mr. Molho offers a new approach to the study of Florentine politics. Scholars have long recognized that Florence's deficit-financing of its wars of independence against the Visconti of Milan had far-reaching economic, political, and social effects, but this is the first document-based history to provide concrete support for that general knowledge. Focusing on the governmental and fiscal agencies of Florence as well as a number of memoirs and account hooks written by Florentine citizens, Mr. Molho has gathered and statistically reconstructed much archival material on Florentine taxation, public income, and expenses. He concludes that between 1423 and 1433 Florence underwent a prolonged and vast fiscal crisis that affected both the fiscal structure of the city and its constitutional and institutional framework. His work thus sheds new light on Cosimo de' Medici's rise to power in 1434.

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Book SynopsisThe fourth European edition of Microeconomics and Behaviour builds on its core analytical foundations, and embeds them in accessible and engaging real-world examples to demonstrate the relationship between economic thinking and analysis and human behaviour.By blending theory with practical application, students are encouraged to think like economists and critically assess the technical tools of microeconomics and to find more interesting and innovative ways of applying them and develop a lasting interest in the discipline.Key Featuresâ Fully updated chapters, with new and expanded material on the economics of happiness, halo and decoy effects, price discrimination, the gig economy and self-employment, and partial versus general equilibrium.â Extensive pedagogical features including worked examples, key terms and definitions, in-chapter exercises, chapter summaries, and review questions to enhance understanding and retentionâ Economic Naturalist examples illustrate how economic principles can explain everyday experiences and observations .New examples include: âœWhy does an efficient health service not do everything to keep people alive?â, âœWhy did Taylor Swift fans not sell their tickets for The Eras Tour?â and âœWhy do most cryptocurrencies fail within a few years?âConnect® ResourcesAvailable on McGraw Hillâs Connect®, the well-established online learning platform, which features our award-winning adaptive reading experience as well as resources to help faculty and institutions improve student outcomes and course delivery efficiency. To learn more, visit mheducation.co.uk/connect Key Connect® features for this edition include:â Economic Application Based Activities that provide students with valuable practice, using problem solving skills to apply their knowledge to realistic scenarios. Studentsâ progress from understanding basic concepts to using their knowledge to analyse complex scenarios and solve problems.â Economic Naturalist graphing questions which have been developed to complement this key pedagogical feature from the textbook.â Interactive Graphs that help students see the relevance of the subject matter by providing visual displays of real data for students to manipulate. All graphs are accompanied by assignable assessment questions and feedback for students.Edward J. Cartwright is a Professor of Economics at De Montfort University in the UK. He is also Director of the Institute for Applied Economics and Social Value. One of his passions is the use of interactive classroom experiments in economics teaching. His research has focused primarily on cooperation and coordination in economic and social behaviour.Robert H. Frank is the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of Management and Professor of Economics at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, USA. He is also a Distinguished Senior fellow at Demos, USA. For more than a decade his âEconomic Viewâ column appeared monthly in the New York Times. His research has focused on rivalry and cooperation in economic and social behaviour.This European edition is originally based on the Microeconomics and Behavior text by Robert Frank.

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Book SynopsisHow does Manhattan’s 47th Street diamond district thrive as an ethnic marketplace without lawyers, courts, and state coercion? Barak Richman draws on insider interviews to show why relational exchange based on familiarity, trust, and community enforcement succeeds and what it reveals about the modern state’s limitations in governing the economy.Trade ReviewThrough the eternally fascinating lens of the diamond trade, Richman explores the potential, and the shortcomings, of stateless commerce. A solid synthesis and weighty contribution. -- Robert C. Ellickson, Yale Law SchoolOffers new observations and insights into this fascinating world. -- Lee K. Benham * Independent Review *

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Book SynopsisHow can great companies do everything right - identify real customer needs, deliver excellent innovations, beat their competitors to market - and still fail? The sad truth is that many companies fail because they focus too intensely on their own innovations, and then neglect the innovation ecosystems on which their success depends. In our increasingly interdependent world, winning requires more than just delivering on your own promises. It means ensuring that a host of partners -some visible, some hidden- deliver on their promises, too. In The Wide Lens, innovation expert Ron Adner draws on over a decade of research and field testing to take you on far ranging journeys from Kenya to California, from transport to telecommunications, to reveal the hidden structure of success in a world of interdependence. A riveting study that offers a new perspective on triumphs like Amazon''s e-book strategy and Apple''s path to market dominance; monumental failures li

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Book SynopsisLeadership is not a rank, it is a responsibility. Leadership is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in your charge.When we take care of our people, our people will take care of us. They will help see that our cause becomes a reality.In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why, investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don''t just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business and government - each putting aside their own interests to protect their teams.''Simple and elegant, it shows us how leaders should lead'' William Ury, co-author of Getting to YesTrade ReviewAs refreshingly simple and easy to follow as it is thought-provoking * Management Today *

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Book SynopsisKen Segall put the ''i'' in iPad. Now he explains why simplicity is the secret of Apple''s success in Insanely Simple.To Steve Jobs, Simplicity wasn''t just a design principle. It was a religion and a weapon. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It''s what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011, and guides the way Apple is organized, how it designs products, and how it connects with customers. It''s by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory.As creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple''s resurrection, helping to create such critical campaigns as ''Think Different'' and naming the iMac. Insanely Simple is his insider''s view of Jobs'' world. It reveals the ten elements of Simplicity that have driven Apple''s success - which you can use to propel your own organisation. Reading InsanelyTrade ReviewA blueprint for running a company the Steve Jobs way ... should be required reading for anyone interested in management and marketing * The Times *Punchy ... Segall gets inside Apple's branding and marketing to explain its directness and power * Financial Times *Required reading * Observer *An entertaining perspective on how Apple typically gets it right... Candid and insightful. Insanely Simple should be required reading for any boss with a Byzantine organisation and a shrinking business * The Guardian *In this captivating book, Segall has succeeded in distilling what made Steve Jobs succeed in ways no one would have imagined - simplicity. The idea of going simple, and Jobs's obsession with it, is neither a set of rules nor a goal, but a worldview of how things should be. . . More practical than theoretical, this essential book is about using the power of Simplicity to set a company apart * Publishers Weekly *Intriguing insights from someone who worked closely with Jobs on some of Apple's most successful ad campaigns * Forbes *A few pages in, I was hooked. . . [A]n amusing and revealing book about the company's extraordinary leader, Steve Jobs, and the guiding principle that made him one of the great businessmen of the age * The Boston Globe *Ken Segall has literally captured lightning in a bottle. Insanely Simple reveals the secret of Steve Jobs's success with such clarity, even we non-geniuses can make use of it. Ken shows us how to cut through the cobwebs of fuzzy thinking, bureaucracy, and mediocrity, and clearly see what's most essential - and therefore most important -- Steve Hayden, former vice chairman, Ogilvy, and author of Apple’s legendary 1984 Super Bowl commercialAs the man who came up with the iconic iMac name that launched one of the most successful product lines in history, Segall played a pivotal role in reviving Apple from near-death. His close working relationship with Jobs allows him to provide insight into how Jobs's obsession with simplicity became the driving force that informs every decision the company makes to this day * Booklist *Reveals a fresh insight into Steve Jobs's mind and how his obsession with simplicity drove Apple to success * Macworld *This book provides industry insight that many other books on Steve Jobs and Applelack. . . Recommended for those looking for advice on running a successful corporation and readers interested in all things Apple * Library Journal *A fascinating glimpse behind Apple's famously closed doors, taking the reader inside the inner sanctum and sneaking a peek at the marketing meetings presided over by Jobs * PC Advisor *

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Book Synopsis'Inspiring leadership lessons from the sea,' Rear Admiral Robert O. Wray Jr, USN (ret), author of Saltwater LeadershipAlthough merchant ships carry 90% of the world's trade, the mariners who run them have little guidance on leadership. This can result in disasters such as the Titanic, Costa Concordia, the Exxon Valdez, and the recent El Faro. With modern ships being worth several million dollars, seafarers need leadership advice at every level of their career. Golden Stripes, Leadership on the High Seas provides this guidance, and much more.Captain Parani weaves together his rich experience, cutting-edge insights and real-life stories in this book which has already garnered international acclaim. The reader will discover how to run a tight ship; enhance expertise; lead and communicate with a team; implement safety leadership; decide effectively in high-stake situations and be inspired by legendary sailors. It is a practical leadership action plan which can be applied at sea, or in any other workplace, anywhere.Golden Stripes is the first leadership book of its kind, written by a mariner specifically for commercial shipping.The author's experience both on board and from his corporate roles gives him a unique perspective on why, when and how sailors fail or succeed. Important messages are woven around engaging stories, quotes and practical leadership models, making this an indispensable read for all leaders.Trade Review`...a densely populated volume with a serious purpose. ...has a benefit of a comprehensive resource list plus more than 20 incident, accident and legal reports and sources consulted by the author’. Dog Watch -------------------- `...provides...guidance and much more. This is an invaluable book for anyone aspiring to be a senior officer and I would very highly recommend it'. Shipping Today & Yesterday -------------------- `...a new resource which will inspire seafarers to develop their leadership skills, run a tight ship, act appropriately in danger, keep their crew and cargo safe and avoid maritime disasters. Captain Parani weaves together his rich experience, cutting-edge insights and real life stories in this book which has already garnered international acclaim. ... Important messages are woven around engaging stories, quotes and practical leadership models, making this an indispensable read for all at sea'. Frank Neyts, Daily Collection of Maritime Press Clippings ------------------- `...a highly readable book which addresses a gap in the training of seafarers... ...a very practical book, in which the author demonstrates a considerable depth of study of human nature, along with a lot of analytical skill. ...the author provides a valuable "how to do it" manual... there is a great deal in the 21 chapters, written with some considerable enthusiasm and using plenty of examples from the author's own career... ...a book of practical management, there are plenty of gems that are equally applicable to those in position of authority ashore'. BIMCO -------------------- `...it is more a very interesting and inspiring read... ...the well-researched analysis and lessons learned brought out interesting details and fresh perspective. ...can be useful for anyone in all walks of life. I actually found this book to be quite inspirational and helpful'. PowerShips -------------------- `...is a very thought-provoking book for all those serving at sea whether in the merchant service or in the Royal Navy - particularly all those in positions of Command, Navigation, Seamanship and Engineering. Captain Parani's experience, his assessments and recommendations are certainly worth consideration in the Naval community'. In Depth -------------------- `A succinct and compact guide that will be compulsory reading for mariners worldwide'. Julian StockwinFrom the acclaim for Golden Stripes - '...has identified a gap in the maritime education and training of seafarers and it may not be one that can be filled by adding a course in first year programs. It needs to be embedded in all maritime education and also the focus of lifelong learning'. Glenn Blackwood, Chairman, International Association of Maritime Universities and Board Member, World Maritime University -------------------- '...The ideas that you will get from this book, based on years of experience at sea, will inspire, stimulate, encourage and teach you the things that GREAT LEADERS DO'. Best-selling author Steven Shallenberger -------------------- `...Read, learn and inwardly digest this book!' The Northern Mariner -------------------- `...essential reading for anyone with a career at sea. An entertaining and informative read'. Sea Breezes

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Book Synopsis Raise your options investing game to a new level through smart, focused practice For decades, Sheldon Natenbergâs Option Volatility & Pricing has been helping investors better understand the complexities of the option market with his clear and comprehensive explanation of trading strategies and risk management. Now, you can raise your performance to a higher level by practicing Natenbergâs methods before you enter the market.  Filled with hands-on exercises designed to dramatically increase your knowledge and build your confidence, The Option Volatility and Pricing Workbook provides the necessary tools from which to build a successful options portfolio. Each exercise is preceded by clear description of the principle at hand, and each concludes with in-depth explanations of the correct answers. Hundreds of exercises cover such topics as: â

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Book SynopsisSouth Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang used his 2003 work Kicking Away The Ladder to challenge the central orthodoxies of development economics, using his creative thinking skills to shine new light on an old topic. Creative thinkers are often distinguished by their willingness to challenge received ideas, and this is a central aspect of Chang’s work on development. Before Chang, the received wisdom was that developing countries needed the same kinds of economic policies and institutions as developed countries in order to enjoy the same prosperity. But, as Chang pointed out, the historical evidence showed that First World economic success was, in fact, due to exactly the kinds of state intervention that modern development orthodoxy shuns. Western affluence is the product of precisely the kinds of state control – of protectionism and the setting of price tariffs – that developed countries have since denied the developing world in the name of economic freedom and ‘best practice.’ By insisting that Third World nations should adopt these economic policies themselves, argued Chang, the West is actually stifling Third World economic prospects – kicking away the ladder. His carefully reasoned argument for a novel point of view was closely based on the critical thinking skill of producing novel explanations for existing evidence, and led many to question development orthodoxies – sparking a rethink of modern development strategies for less-developed countries.Table of ContentsWays in to the Text Who is Ha-Joon Chang? What does Kicking Away the Ladder Say? Why does Kicking Away the Ladder Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited

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Book SynopsisA step--by--step, real world guide to the use of Value at Risk (VaR) models, this text applies the VaR approach to the measurement of market risk, credit risk and operational risk. The book describes and critiques proprietary models, illustrating them with practical examples drawn from actual case studies.Trade Review"This book is a clear explanation of the science and art of the Value at Risk approach to risk measurement. There is no better explication of both the theory underlying the approach and its practical implementation. It is an invaluable tool to anyone involved in any type of risk management." Mark Zandi, Economy.comTable of ContentsList of Figures xiv List of Tables xvi Preface xviii List of Abbreviations xx 1 Introduction to Value at Risk (VaR) 1 2 Quantifying Volatility in VaR Models 21 3 Putting VaR to Work 82 4 Extending the VaR Approach to Non-tradable Loans 119 5 Extending the VaR Approach to Operational Risks 158 6 Applying VaR to Regulatory Models 200 7 VaR: Outstanding Research 233 Notes 236 References 257 Index 270

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Book SynopsisTime the price cycles of bitcoin and become rich Bitcoin has been the best performing asset class of all time—better than gold, silver, real estate, and the stock market. Its value has risen from one tenth of a cent in 2009 to a new high of over $70,000. But misconceptions about its reliability have prevented most people from creating life-changing wealth. Michael Terpin, the founder of BitAngels whom CNBC calls “the Godfather of Crypto,' is changing that. The Bitcoin Supercycle explains his “Four Seasons of Bitcoin” model, which shows how the price of bitcoin moves in reliable cycles similar to those of real estate and stock markets—and gives you the numbers, evidence, charts, and strategies to take advantage. As the Bitcoin Spring starts in April 2024 and the fourth halving reduces the supply of bitcoin, and crypto ETFs hit the market, the coming seasons have the potential to create a new class of millionaires and billionaires that rivals the wealth creation of the internet bubble. Learn how to become one with The Bitcoin Supercycle.     

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Book Synopsis“If you’re interested in the revolutionary transformation of the meaning and use of money, this is the book to read!”—Charles R. SchwabCultural anthropologist Jack Weatherford traces our relationship with money, from primitive man’s cowrie shells to the electronic cash card, from the markets of Timbuktu to the New York Stock Exchange. The History of Money explores how money and the myriad forms of exchange have affected humanity, and how they will continue to shape all aspects of our lives—economic, political, and personal. “A fascinating book about the force that makes the world go round—the dollars, pounds, francs, marks, bahts, ringits, kwansas, levs, biplwelles, yuans, quetzales, pa’angas, ngultrums, ouguiyas, and other 200-odd brand names that collectively make up the mysterious thing we call money.”—Los Angeles Times

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Book SynopsisDr Bram DeSmet is the CEO of Solventure where he helps global production and retail organizations in the domain of Strategy, Supply Chain and Operations. He is a Professor in Operations & Supply Chain Management at Vlerick Business School, Belgium.Trade Review"This book is a milestone in the evolution of supply chain planning literature. It presents a comprehensive methodology for connecting supply chain improvements to business performance, a topic that has not been often addressed. I would recommend this book as a must-read to all supply chain practitioners." * Harpal Singh, CEO, Arkieva *"A very timely book. As the fundamentals of supply chain are being redefined by the digital revolution, it is absolutely needed for supply chain executives to become much more proficient with the financial metrics of supply chains to assess the benefits and costs of those technologies. Metrics beyond cost, like cash, are going to define the future evolution of digital supply chains and change current practices dramatically." * Prof. Dr. Carlos Cordon, LEGO Professor of Strategy and Supply Chain Management, IMD *"This book is a great contribution in the evolution of business and supply chain excellence to a more holistic approach to create sustainable business performance and results. It provides a clear picture and extensive guidance for leaders to connect all the dots of a chosen business strategy with a supply chain strategy, and links this to the right business performance measurement. Prof. Dr. Bram DeSmet has created a masterpiece which can be used for any business transformation and I am convinced that winning companies will implement the methods described in the book as part of their business excellence journey towards sustainable success." * Frank Vorrath, VP Global Supply Chain, Johnson Controls *"This book provides a practical guide towards formulating and implementing Supply Chain Strategy; highly recommended for all supply chain professionals!" * Prof. Dr. Jack van der Veen, Evofenedex chair Supply Chain Management, Nyenrode Business Universiteit *"Excellent companies have more than good products and marketing, above all they have a perfect supply chain. By using the supply chain triangle of Bram DeSmet, organizations can fulfil their promises to their customers. The supply chain triangle takes care of the right balance between service to customers, the costs customer are willing to pay and the cash the organization must generate to be able to exist and to innovate." * Michel Van Buren, Managing Director, BLMC & Solventure, Netherlands *"Improving service, while optimizing cost and working capital is the mission of supply chain at Owens Corning. The supply chain triangle introduced in this book captures the dynamics involved and what are the strategic limitations. A must-read for any supply chain professional." * Tony Heldreth, VP Supply Chain, Owens Corning *Table of Contents Chapter - 01: The Supply Chain Triangle of Service, Cost and Cash; Chapter - 02: Strategy in the Supply Chain Triangle; Chapter - 03: Financial Benchmarking in Two Dimensions; Chapter - 04: Financial Target Setting in Two Dimensions; Chapter - 05: The Impact of Strategy on Financial Benchmarking and Target Setting; Chapter - 06: Redefining the Service Corner into a Value Corner; Chapter - 07: Building a Strategy Driven KPI Dashboard; Chapter - 08: Implementing a Strategy Driven Supply Chain; Chapter - 09: Appendix – Financial Templates – Inventory Management; Chapter - 10: Appendix – Financial Templates – The Cost of Inventory – Rent, Room, Risk

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Book SynopsisA vivid, compelling and highly readable insight into building world-leading teams and organizations. - Dr Catherine Raines, Chief Executive, UK Trade & InvestmentThe Business of Excellence offers a unique and compelling perspective on the drivers of excellence in teams and organizations. The author, Justin Hughes, brings an unusual mix of experience and insight, having worked as a management consultant to some of the world's most successful organizations, in addition to having served for 12 years as a military fighter pilot, where he became Executive Officer on the RAF Red Arrows.The challenges of high performance and leadership are explored in depth, and are illustrated with insights, interviews and case studies from the military, sporting and corporate worlds. The material includes a proprietary performance model that can be applied to a wide spectrum of organizations, focusing on: People: the primacy of attitude over skills Capability: building alignment before seTrade ReviewAny leader who is striving to create a high performance team environment should read this gem of a book from cover to cover! It deserves to become the execution manual for any team or organisation that aims to achieve operational excellence. -- Costas Markides * Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Holder of the Robert Bauman Chair in Strategic Leadership, London Business School *Justin Hughes' experience as a fighter pilot is highly relevant to teams everywhere. In The Business of Excellence, he has offered a vivid, compelling and highly readable insight into building world-leading teams and organizations. -- Dr Catherine Raines * Chief Executive, UK Trade & Investment *A new, fresh and engaging perspective on leadership and the creation of high-performance organisations through the lens of somebody with first-hand experience … the clarity and accessibility of the insights mark this book out as truly excellent. -- Sir David Walker * former Master of the Queen’s Household *Justin Hughes is that rare breed of consultant and commentator who has been there and done it. Combine that with strong values and outstanding communication skills and you have someone worth listening to. -- David Bellamy * CEO, St James’ Place *This is a book, above all, about delivering great outcomes whatever challenges are thrown up on the way. A recommended read for any team or business leader wanting to take performance to the next level. -- Ian Jeffery * CEO and Partner, Lewis Silkin LLP *In The Business of Excellence, Justin Hughes articulates a clear strategy for the pursuit of excellence coming from his many years of experience as a fighter pilot and entrepreneur. I am a big fan of learning from other environments and highly recommend it. -- Paddy Lowe * Executive Director, Mercedes Grand Prix *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION 1 The Crux of the Issue 2 Excellence – It Starts with You THE FOUNDATIONS 3 Team Players for Team Games (People) 4 Building the Teams and Organization You Need (Capability) GETTING STUFF DONE 5 From Desire to Outcome (Delivery) 5A Plans and Planning 5B Communicating the Plan 5C Execution 6 Accelerating the Improvement Curve (Learning) OTHER ISSUES 7 Bringing Others on the Journey (Leadership) 8 Missing Sink Holes (Risk) 9 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisJake Knapp (Author) Jake Knapp created the Google Ventures sprint process and has run more than one hundred sprints with startups such as 23andMe, Slack, Nest and Foundation Medicine. Previously, Jake worked at Google, leading sprints for everything from Gmail to Google X. He is among the world's tallest designers.John Zeratsky (Author) John Zeratsky has designed mobile apps, medical reports and a daily newspaper (among other things). Before joining Google Ventures, he was a design lead at YouTube and an early employee at FeedBurner, which Google acquired in 2007. John writes about design and productivity for The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and Wired. He studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin.Braden Kowitz (Author) Braden Kowitz founded the Google Ventures design team in 2009 and pioneered the role of 'design partner' at a venture capital firm. He has advised on close to two hundred startups onTrade ReviewSprint offers a transformative formula for testing ideas that works whther you're at a startup or a large organization. Within five days, you'll move from idea to prototype to decision, saving you and your team countless hours and countless dollars. A must read for entrepreneurs of all stripes. * Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup *Read this book and do what it says if you want to build better products faster. * Ev Williams, founder of Medium, Twitter and Blogger *Sprint offers powerful methods for hatching ideas, solving problems, testing solutions – and finding the habits that make all the right behaviours fall in to place. * Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit *Every business leader I know worries about the same thing: are we moving fast enough? The genius of Jake Knapp's Sprint is its step-by-step breakdown of what it takes to solve big problems and do work that matters with speed and urgency. A Sprint is a cure for what ails companies in an ever faster world. * Beth Comstock, Vice Chair of GE *Sprint teaches you a novel process for solving really thorny problems in just 5 days. It's full of helpful, entertaining stories that will make it easier for you to succeed. What more, exactly, would you demand from a book? I wish all business books were this useful. * Dan Heath, co-author of The Power of Moments, Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive *To quote one of my colleagues, "Don't get ready, get started." Through hard won experience Jake Knapp and the team at Google Ventures have refined an efficient, hands-on approach to solving your product, service and experience design challenges. Try the book and try a Sprint. * Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO and author of Change by Design *

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Book SynopsisNew edition with a foreword by Bernardine Evaristo 'A brutal record of segregated America ... essential reading' Guardian 'An anti-racist classic' Bernardine Evaristo In the autumn of 1959, a white Texan journalist named John Howard Griffin travelled across the Deep South of the United States disguised as a working-class black man. Black Like Me is Griffin's own account of his journey. Published in book form two years later it sold over five million copies, revealed to a white audience the daily experience of racism and became one of the best-known accounts of racial injustice in Jim Crow-era America. Embraced by some and fiercely criticised by others, its legacy sixty years on remains problematic, but Black Like Me nevertheless stands as a fascinating document of its times. 'There is a saying among Negroes that no white man, no matter how hard he tries, can really understand what it's like to be black in America. John Howard Griffin has come closer to this understanding than any white man that I know.' Louis Lomax, Saturday Review 'If it was a frightening experience for him as nothing but a make-believe Negro for sixty-six days, then you think about what real Negroes in America have gone through for 400 years.' Malcolm XTrade ReviewBlack Like Me awoke significant numbers of white Americans to truths about discrimination of which they had been unaware or had denied ... it remains powerful, revealing and moving. * Washington Post *Black Like Me revealed to white America - and Griffin himself - the indignities, abuse and threat of violence that black people had to put up with on a daily basis. * Black History 365 *One of the most extraordinary books ever written about relations between the races -- BBC Radio 4's ‘The Today Programme’One of the most remarkable one-man social and psychological experiments in history ... it is worth reading what he wrote - and then reflecting on how far we have come. And how far we have to go. * BBC News *One of the most fascinating journalistic investigations carried out in the USA ... when Griffin described what he experienced, it awoke a vast section of the American public to what was happening in their country. * Voice *A brutal record of segregated America ... essential reading * Guardian *An important, illuminating and fascinating read -- Bernardine Evaristo * The Times *

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Book SynopsisToday′s human resource departments play a vital role in helping organizations achieve their strategic objectives and gain a competitive edge. As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it′s imperative that organizations leverage human resource information systems (HRIS) to make better people decisions and manage talent more effectively. Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions is a thorough, accessible introduction to the HRIS field. The Fourth Edition includes a new chapter on social media, exploring how organizations can use social networks to recruit and select the best candidates. A new HRIS Expert feature spotlights practitioners who share best practices and insights into HR professions.Table of ContentsChapter 1 A Brief History and Overview of Technology in HR Chapter 2 Database Concepts and Applications in Human Resource Information Systems Chapter 2 Database Concepts and Applications in Human Resource Infomation Systems Chapter 3 Systems Considerations in the Design of a Human Resource Information System: Planning for Implementation Chapter 4 The Systems Development Life Cycle and HRIS Needs Analysis Chapter 5 System Design and Acquisition Chapter 6 Project Management, Change Management, and HRIS Implementation Chapter 7 Cost Justifying HRIS Investments Chapter 8 HR Administration and HRIS Chapter 9 Talent Management Chapter 9 Talent Mangement New: HRIS and Social Media Chapter 9 Change Management: Implementation, Integration, and Maintenance of the Human Resource Information System Chapter 10 Recruitement and Selection in an Internet Context Chapter 10 Recruitment and Selection in an Internet Context Chapter 11 Training and Development: Issues and Human Resource Information Systems Application Chapter 12 Performance Management, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, nd the Human Resource Information System Chapter 13 HRIS and International HRM Chapter 14 HR Metric Workforce Analytics Chapter 14 HR Metrics and Workforce Analytics Chapter 15 HRIS Privacy and Security Chapter 17 The Future of Human Resource Information Systems: Emerging Trends in HRM and IT Chapter 12 Performance Management, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, and the Human Resource Information System

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Book SynopsisWhat is behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Enterprises and Manchester United - along with such stars as Jay-Z and Lady Gaga? Which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their rivals? Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School''s expert on the entertainment industry, has done pioneering research on the worlds of media and sports for more than a decade. Now, in this groundbreaking book, she explains a powerful truth about the fiercely competitive world of entertainment: building a business around blockbuster products - the movies, television shows, songs and books that are hugely expensive to produce and market - is the surest path to long-term success. Along the way, she reveals why entertainment executives often spend outrageous amounts of money in search of the next blockbuster, why superstars are paid unimaginable sums and how digital technologies are transformi

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Book SynopsisDo you want to get to the stage - soon - where you are truly financially independent, able to use your money in the way you''d like, and be completely confident in your ability to take care of yourself and your family? That is a universal desire, but many of us regard wealth and financial independence as a goal which we''ll likely never achieve - there are just too many bills that need paying and there is a widespread belief that the money game is rigged. Even people who win the lottery or inherit money often seem to wind up losing it. The evidence suggests you can''t win a game that you don''t understand - even if you start out winning - because you never understood the game in the first place.So how can you win with money? How can you create independent wealth and hold on to it? This inspiring book by self-made multi-millionaire Rob Moore explains the rules of the game, shares simple tricks for managing money better, details how to create a plan for an ambitious fu

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Book SynopsisThe powerful concept behind unified branding.

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Book SynopsisNorth Korea is like no other tyranny on earth. It is Orwell's 1984 made reality.The regime controls the flow of information to its citizens, pouring relentless propaganda through omnipresent loud speakers. Free speech is an illusion: one word out of line and the gulag awaits. State spies are everywhere, ready to punish disloyalty and the slightest sign of discontent.You must bow to Kim Il Sung, the Eternal Leader and to his son, Generalissimo Kim Jong Il. Worship the dead and then hail the living, the Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.North Koreans are told their home is the greatest nation on earth. Big Brother is always watching.Posing as a university professor, award-winning BBC journalist John Sweeney travelled undercover to gain unprecedented access to the world's most secret state. Drawing on his own experiences and his extensive interviews with defectors and other key witnesses, North Korea Undercover pulls back the Trade ReviewSweeney's book is a spark in the dark of North Korea. * The Times *The recent UN report on North Korea under-lined the importance of Sweeney's book. There is much to learn from North Korea Undercover. * Literary Review *Harrowing... creepy and poignant; and, in turn, tragic and obscene. North Korea Undercover asserts that the West should be more concerned about labour camps than nuclear weapons. -- Tom Farrell * Sunday Business Post *Explosive and entertaining... Sweeney provides a remarkably vivid look at this hidden country. An investigative must-read. * Booklist *A tremendous piece of reporting. This book is one that we should all read and absorb. * Army Rumour Service *

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Book SynopsisA powerful pocket guide for practitioners that distills all of the research and materials found in Otto Scharmer''s seminal texts Theory U and Leading from the Emerging Future.Creating a Better FutureThis book offers a concise, accessible guide to the key concepts and applications in Otto Scharmer''s classic Theory U. Scharmer argues that our capacity to pay attention coshapes the world. What prevents us from attending to situations more effectively is that we aren''t fully aware of that interior condition from which our attention and actions originate. Scharmer calls this lack of awareness our blind spot. He illuminates the blind spot in leadership today and offers hands-on methods to help change makers overcome it through the process, principles, and practices of Theory U. And he outlines a framework for updating the "operating systems" of our educational institutions, our economies, and our democracies. This book enables leaders and organizations in all industries and sectors to shift awareness, connect with the highest future possibilities, and strengthen the capacity to co-shape the future.

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Book SynopsisHow do markets evolve? Why are some innovations picked up straightaway whilst others take years to be commercialized? Are there first-mover advantages? Why do we behave with ''irrational exuberance'' in the early evolution of markets as was the case with the dot.com boom? Paul Geroski is a leading economist who has taught economics to business school students, managers, and executives at the London Business School. In this book he explains in a refreshingly clear style how markets develop. In particular he stresses how the early evolution of markets can significantly shape their later development and structure. His purpose is to show how a good grasp of economics can improve managers'' business and investment decisions. Whilst using the development of the Internet as a case in point, Geroski also refers to other sectors and products, for example cars, television, mobile phones, and personal computers. This short book is an ideal introduction for managers, MBA students, and the general reader wanting to understand how markets evolve.Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Where do new technologies come from? 3: The structure of new markets 4: Developing the new product design 5: The growth of the market 6: Into the future

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the István Hont Book Prize, Institute of Intellectual History""An imaginative and intriguing book. . . . [Case’s] book is a dazzling display of erudition, with a little over 200 pages of elegant, witty text supported by a hundred pages of densely packed endnotes."---Jonathan Sperber, Times Literary Supplement"Joining erudition with a poetic if occasionally enigmatic style, this book shivers with the restless spirit of the age it describes."---Ian P Beacock, Los Angeles Review of Books"By systemizing her material into diverse arguments, and letting them contend with each other, Case convincingly shows how each carries a historiographic truth that is as plausible as all the others." * Connections *"This book is a brilliant interrogation of the code in which the nineteenth century tells its contradictory story."---Stefan-Ludwig Hoffmann, Journal of Modern History

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Book SynopsisIncorporating theoretical and quantitative history, this book examines a specific model of historical change and, more generally, investigates the utility of the dynamical systems approach in historical applications. It is of interest to practitioners of economic history, historical sociology, complexity studies, and demography.Trade Review"This book is an audacious and ambitious attempt to promote the viewpoint that historical progression runs according to certain regular patterns... I am fascinated by this book, particularly by the theoretical framework which is laid out in the introductory and concluding chapters... [T]he main strength of the book lies in its scope, reminiscent of the broad perspectives of classical economists. It is the type of scholarship which proves that historical narrative can be fascinating."--Harry Kitsikopoulos, EH.net "Those who are interested in grand social theories will want to read and reflect. I suspect that there will be many who then will rebut."--Brian J. L. Berry, American Journal of Sociology "Turchin and Nefedov have set a very ambitious task for themselves... [T]hey should be applauded for producing a work of very broad historical sweep and reminding us that developing general laws--or more plausibly, general tendencies--of historical dynamics remains a tantalizing proposition."--David S. Jacks, Australian Economic History Review "[T]he standard of historical scholarship is excellent and opens the floor to interesting challenges for further empirical explorations."--Laura Panza, Economic RecordTable of ContentsTable of Units and Currencies ix Chapter 1: Introduction: The Theoretical Background 1 1.1 Development of Ideas about Demographic Cycles 1 1.2 A Synthetic Theory of Secular Cycles 6 1.3 Variations and Extensions 21 1.4 Empirical Approaches 29 Chapter 2: Medieval England: The Plantagenet Cycle (1150-1485) 35 2.1 Overview of the Cycle 35 2.2 The Expansion Phase (1150-1260) 47 2.3 Stagflation (1260-1315) 49 2.4 Crisis (1315-1400) 58 2.5 Depression (1400-1485) 69 2.6 Conclusion 77 Chapter 3: Early Modern England: The Tudor-Stuart Cycle (1485-1730) 81 3.1 Overview of the Cycle 81 3.2 Expansion (1485-1580) 87 3.3 Stagflation (1580-1640) 91 3.4 Crisis (1640-60) 97 3.5 Depression (1660-1730) 101 3.6 Conclusion 107 Appendix to Chapter 3 108 Chapter 4: Medieval France: The Capetian Cycle (1150-1450) 111 4.1 Overview of the Cycle 111 4.2 Expansion (1150-1250) 115 4.3 Stagflation (1250-1315) 117 4.4 Crisis (1315-65) 121 4.5 Depression (1365-1450) 129 4.6 Conclusion: "A Near Perfect Multi-secular Cycle" 141 Chapter 5: Early Modern France: The Valois Cycle (1450-1660) 143 5.1 Overview 143 5.2 Expansion (1450-1520) 147 5.3 Stagflation (1520-70) 149 5.4 Crisis (1570-1600) 153 5.5 A Case Study: The Norman Nobility 156 5.6 Depression (1600-1660) 169 5.7 Conclusion 174 Chapter 6: Rome: The Republican Cycle (350-30 BCE) 176 6.1 Overview of the Cycle 176 6.2 An Unusually Long Expansion (350-180 BCE) 185 6.3 Stagflation (180-130 BCE) 189 6.4 The Late Republican Crisis (130-30 BCE) 201 6.5 The End of the Disintegrative Trend 205 6.6 Conclusion 208 Chapter 7: Rome: The Principate Cycle (30 BCE-285 CE) 211 7.1 Overview of the Cycle 211 7.2 Expansion (27 BCE-96 CE) 224 7.3 Stagflation (96-165 CE) 229 7.4 Crisis (165-97 CE) 233 7.5 Depression (197-285 CE) 236 7.6 Conclusion 238 Chapter 8: Russia: The Muscovy Cycle (1460-1620) 240 8.1 The Fifteenth-Century Crisis 240 8.2 Expansion (1460-1530) 241 8.3 Stagflation (1530-65) 244 8.4 Crisis (1565-1615) 252 8.5 Conclusion 258 Chapter 9: Russia: The Romanov Cycle (1620-1922) 261 9.1 Expansion (1620-1800) 261 9.2 Stagflation (1800-1905) 274 9.3 Crisis (1905-22) 287 9.4 Conclusion 299 Chapter 10: General Conclusions 303 10.1 Population Numbers 303 10.2 Elite Dynamics 304 10.3 The State 306 10.4 Sociopolitical Instability 307 10.5 Are There General Laws of Historical Dynamics? 311 Acknowledgments 315 References Cited 317 Index 341

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Book SynopsisPULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • The author of Voices in the Night reveals the mesmerizing journey of an American dreamer as he walks a haunted line between fantasy and reality, madness and ambition, art and industry.“This wonderful, wonder-full book is a fable and phantasmagoria of the sources of our century.” —The New York Times Book ReviewYoung Martin Dressler begins his career as an industrious helper in his father's cigar store.  In the course of his restless young manhood, he makes a swift and eventful rise to the top, accompanied  by two sisters--one a dreamlike shadow, the other a worldly business partner. As the eponymous Martin's vision becomes bolder and bolder, a  sense of doom builds piece-by-hypnotic piece until this mesmerizing journey reaches its bitter-sweet conclusion.

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Book Synopsis''BRILLIANTLY CLEAR AND CAPTIVATING PROSE'' STEPHEN FRYA WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR 2023An award-winning mathematician explores the maths behind the games we love and why we love to play them.Where should you move first in Connect 4?What is the best property in Monopoly?And how can pi help you win rock paper scissors?Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in 80 Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding maths can help us play games better, and how both maths and games are integral to human psychology and culture.For as long as there have been people, there have been games, and for nearly as long, we have been exploring and discovering mathematics. A grand adventure, Around the World in 80 Games teaches us not just how games are won, but how they, and the maths behiTrade Review‘Marcus du Sautoy’s brilliantly clear and captivating prose manages to bring to life the drama of so many different games. With the lightest of touches du Sautoy manages persuasively to show how games are both narratives that speak about us and structures whose ideas underlie everything in our known universe. And on top of it, the book serves as an absolutely indispensable compendium. Rainy weekends in Cornwall will now be welcomed’ Stephen Fry 'A delightful and addictive celebration of games. You’ll keeping wanting one more go' Dara Ó Briain ‘Whether your game is Go, Dungeons and Dragons, or Chocolate Chilli Roulette, you'll find this book adorable. It's lively, creative and humane – exactly as one would expect from Marcus du Sautoy’ Tim Harford, author of How To Make The World Add Up ‘The book encapsulates the very essence of human ingenuity and our intrinsic love for play and exploration. You do not need to be a seasoned player nor a skilled mathematician to relish this enchanting read. However, this book may just encourage you to become the one or the other’ Reiner Knizia, award-winning game designer

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