Business, Finance & Law Books

Book SynopsisAnnouncing an update of one of the best marketing books of all time. Differentiation has become a very big word in business thanks in great part to Differentiate or Die. It has been called one of the best marketing books of all time.Table of ContentsChapter 1. The Tyranny of Choice 1 Chapter 2. The Creeping Commoditization of Categories 11 Chapter 3. Whatever Happened to the Unique Selling Proposition? 19 Chapter 4. Reinventing the Unique Selling Proposition 27 Chapter 5. Quality and Customer Orientation Are Rarely Differentiating Ideas 35 Chapter 6. Creativity Is Not a Differentiating Idea 45 Chapter 7. Price Is Rarely a Differentiating Idea 55 Chapter 8. Breadth of Line is a Difficult Way to Differentiate 67 Chapter 9. The Steps to Differentiation 75 Chapter 10. Differentiation Takes Place in the Mind 83 Chapter 11. Being First is a Differentiating Idea 93 Chapter 12. Attribute Ownership is a Way to Differentiate 103 Chapter 13. Leadership is a Way to Differentiate 117 Chapter 14. Heritage is a Differentiating Idea 125 Chapter 15. Market Specialty is a Differentiating Idea 137 Chapter 16. Preference is a Differentiating Idea 145 Chapter 17. How A Product is Made can be a Differentiating Idea 155 Chapter 18. Being the Latest can be a Differentiating Idea 165 Chapter 19. Hotness is a Way to Differentiate 175 Chapter 20. Growth Can Destroy Differentiation 181 Chapter 21. Differentiation Often Requires Sacrifice 191 Chapter 22. Being Different In Different Places 199 Chapter 23. Maintaining Your Difference 207 Chapter 24. Differentiation in the New World of Buzz 217 Chapter 25. You Can Differentiate Anything 225 Chapter 26. Who is in Charge of Differentiation? 235 Epilogue 243 Notes 245 Index 251

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Book SynopsisWolfgang Schaefer is CEO and Founder of zwoelf consulting, specialized in narrative brand strategies. Based in Berlin and NYC, he lectures at XU Exponential University Potsdam and other schools in Europe and the US. For the past 25 years as chief strategist he has worked with many of the world's top marketers at LVMH, P&G, Miele, Swarovski, Coty and Unilever et al.JP Kuehlwein is the Founder of marketing consultancy Ueber-Brands. He's also Adjunct Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern and Columbia Business School and leader of the Marketing Institute at The Conference Board think tank. Previously, he was Executive Vice President at Frederic Fekkai & Co as well as Brand Director and Director of Corporate Strategy at Procter & Gamble.Trade Review"Rethinking Prestige Branding defines the nature of 'ueber' brands and services and sets out the rules for their effective management.... For professionals in the premium brand industry, as well as those studying it or investing in it, Rethinking Prestige Branding presents a complete and information-packed resource covering every aspect of this mythical sector." * Dr. Christiane Beyerhaus, Professor of Marketing and Retail, Program Director (BA and MA) Global Brand and Fashion Management, International School of Management (ISM), Germany *"Thoughtful and probing, Schaefer and Kuehlwein expertly delve into the marketing alchemy of 'Ueber-Brands' beyond superficial catchphrases and generic notions. Empirical in essence and laced with philosophical quotes, yet triangulated with years of practitioner experience, the authors distill 7 key precepts on how to stay remarkable in prestige branding. A fresh and comprehensive work. Definitely worth the read." * Deryck J van Rensburg, President, Global Ventures, The Coca-Cola Company *"Shifts in demographics and worldview have meant that the approaches for Prestige brands in every category are changing. JP and Wolfgang's book sets a clear compass, balancing the mystery of magic and distance with the importance of purpose, meaning and customer delivery." * Jenny Ashmore, President, Chartered Institute of Marketing, CIM, UK *"This is one of the best new books to come out in recent years on the changes and elevations of branding in marketing and society today, through to their mythic aspects." * Robert Kozinets, Professor of Marketing, Schulich School of Business, York University (Toronto) *"Rethinking Prestige Branding describes in an entertaining way today's marketing paradigm of prestige and luxury brands. This book is an absolute must-read for any marketer working within the prestige or luxury industry." * Atissa Tadjadod, Director of Global Communications, Piaget (Richemont International) *"Based on an extensive benchmarking, this book unveils the seven major clues explaining the success of these brands. This is a much welcomed book for all marketing VPs." * Professor Jean-Noël Kapferer, HEC Paris, author of The Luxury Strategy, Kapferer on Luxury, and The New Strategic Brand Management *"In a world of disparate alternatives, consumers are choosing to express themselves with brand choices that reflect their values. Kuehlwein and Schaefer expertly navigate these waters to enable the architects of prestige brands." * Andy England, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at MillerCoors *"Consumers today expect so much more from brands than just the physical product. Particularly premium products need to wrap service, meaning, and engagement around an authentic consumer experience, and digital and social media open up a canvass of possibilities. This book inspires our thinking about the possibilities at so many levels." * Pete Blackshaw, Global Head of Digital, Nestle *"It's often said that luxury brands follow their own rule book. That those who master it are a breed far apart from the annals of academia, brand keys and value propositions. For the most part that holds true. But after reading Rethinking Prestige Branding, I dare say that even luxury's rule book has been radically rewritten with this engaging and provocative treatise. It dovetails succinctly with the evolution of luxury marks I've had the pleasure (and pain) of leading." * Uwe Ellinghaus, Chief Marketing Officer, Cadillac *"I have been involved in brand equity building for more than 20 years. I found Rethinking Prestige Branding to be insightful and enjoyable, practical and at the same time conversational. Schaefer and Kuehlwein share important principles of Ueber branding illustrated with a wide array of case studies, brand stories and industry insights sparking imagination - for everyone interested in brands and in delivering sustainable business success." * Inge Heinsius, International Strategy and Marketing Expert, former CMO Godiva *"Kuehlwein and Schaefer find the rules of luxury have changed once again. In this new world, how can prestige brands expand reach while maintaining their status as leaders? This book is a great read for managers charged with building and maintaining prestige brands." * Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern *"The game has changed and continually changes but the one thing that must remain is a laser focus on the emotions of our consumer. JP and Wolfgang have drilled to the true essence of the Ueber-Brand breaking it all down to where the emotional content really lives." * Ian Ginsberg, President C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries *"I was fascinated by the authors' approach, and highly encourage you to read this book." * Dr. G. Clotaire Rapaille, Founder-CEO, Archetype Discoveries Worldwide *"This book made me reflect on the Moleskine brand in a radically different way. There is much to learn from its innovative approach." * Maria Sebregondi, Co-founder, Moleskine *"Rethinking Prestige Branding is very timely. In a rapidly changing world where prestige brands are facing explosive growth and incredible challenges, Wolfgang and JP provide a framework to understand and develop 'Ueber-Brands." * Professor Srinivas K. Reddy, Academic Director, LVMH-SMU Asia Luxury Brand Research Initiative *"A thoroughly enjoyable read. The well researched and insightful principles provide a new framework to define prestige branding in the socially connected landscape. And in a world where creating an aspiration brand is more about high values than high value and demands a connection to the consumer's mindset versus their wallet" * John Goodwin, CFO and Executive Vice President, Business Enabling, LEGO *"A compelling, enlightening and fascinating translation of the language of luxury. The authors have thoughtfully analysed and carefully defined a subject matter that has been overlooked in its significance to culture and contribution to innovation." * Gwen L. Whiting and Lindsey J. Boyd, Co-founders, The Laundress *"I enjoyed reading the book because the authors do not restrict themselves to luxury brands but explain concepts from multiple and varied industries. They have chosen carefully companies which are not only well-known but are making news in their respective industries and categories." * Professor Ashok Som, Founding Director, ESSEC-IIMA Global Management Program on Luxury and Retail *"You have to be able to make your customer dream and love your product...The authors help professionals and people who are about our industry to dig in some of its 'secrets." * Christian Foddis, Managing Director, Greater China, Salvatore Ferragamo *"With this book and the 'Ueber-Brand' concept we are all stimulated to put a new energy to our brands as conditions for success in the contemporary world. Easy reading and not only academic but rich with real examples of success." * Fabrizio Penta de Peppo, Professor of Luxury Marketing Management, Instituto Europeo di Design *Table of Contents Section - ONE: Rethinking prestige branding; Chapter - 01: The times they are a-changing; Chapter - 02: From marker to myth – a brief history of branding; Chapter - 03: A new kind of prestige – or what we mean by Ueber-Brands™; Section - TWO: The seven secrets of Ueber-Brands; Chapter - 04: Principle 1: Mission incomparable – the first rule is to make your own; Chapter - 05: Principle 2: Longing versus belonging – the challenge is both; Chapter - 06: Principle 3: Un-selling – the superiority of seduction; Chapter - 07: Principle 4: From myth to meaning – the best way up is to go deep; Chapter - 08: Principle 5: Behold! – the product as manifestation; Chapter - 09: Principle 6: Living the dream – the bubble shall never burst; Chapter - 10: Principle 7: Growth without end – the ultimate balancing act

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Book SynopsisThis is your complete course in business finance.From balance sheets and profit statements to cashflow, budgets and forecasts, THE ULTIMATE FINANCE BOOK is a dynamic collection of tools, techniques, and strategies for success. Short, punchy chapters mean you can read up quickly and start applying what you''ve learned immediately.* Part 1: Your Finance for Non-Financial Managers Masterclass* Part 2: Your Bookkeeping and Accounting Masterclass* Part 3: Your Understanding and Interpreting Accounts Masterclass* Part 4: Your Successful Budgeting and Forecasting MasterclassDiscover the main themes, key ideas and tools you need, and bring it all together with practical exercises.ABOUT THE SERIESULTIMATE books are for managers, leaders, and business executives who want to succeed at work. From marketing and sales to management and finance, each title gives comprehensive coverage of the essential business skills you need to get ahead in

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Book SynopsisThe good news is that people today expect to live longer, healthier lives. The bad news is that many of us will not have enough money to retire comfortably. The solution to this problem is wise investment of the wealth we accumulate during our working lives, but the unfortunate truth is that when it comes to investment, many of us don''t know where to start.Daniel Goldie and Gordon Murray aim to change the way we think about investing and influence the way we select financial advisors, invest our money and assess the results.In THE INVESTMENT ANSWER they provide readers with the necessary background to make the five key decisions that have a significant impact on the overall investment experience so that they will never again be afraid of financial markets or uncertain about what to do with their money.

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Book SynopsisThe Surfboard is Dan Kieran's account of a week he spent in Cornwall building a seven-foot surfboard, even though he had never surfed a day in his life. He did this at a time when he felt he had reached his personal and professional limits: he needed to find a way to break through.Interspersed with the story of making the board – the intricate craft he had to learn, and the clarity of mind that came with that challenge – are the reflections on the obstacles, rewards and realisations he encountered while starting and running a successful business.This startlingly honest book is a finely crafted meditation on the importance of making things for their own sake and pushing beyond our preconceived limitations.Trade Review'Deeply personal and inspiring' The Idler

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Book SynopsisLearn to identify, detect, investigate and prevent financial fraud today with the latest edition of Albrecht/Albrecht/Albrecht/Zimbelman's FRAUD EXAMINATION, 6E. Develop fraud skills as you become a better interviewer, stronger and more skeptical document examiner, better technology user and more informed decision maker. Closely examine and gain a strong understanding of the types of fraud and nature of fraud investigation today with current business examples and numerous actual fraud cases, delivered first-hand from the authors' experience.FRAUD EXAMINATION presents today's most important fraud concepts with an emphasis on the growing areas of ebusiness and cyber fraud. Significant discussion familiarizes you with forensic analysis as well as legal options for victims of fraud. New discussion also highlights how experts use technology to accomplish fraud and detect fraud.Table of ContentsPart I: INTRODUCTION TO FRAUD. 1. The Nature of Fraud. 2. Who Commits Fraud and Why. 3. Fighting Fraud: An Overview. Part II: FRAUD PREVENTION. 4. Preventing Fraud. Part III: FRAUD DETECTION. 5. Recognizing the Symptoms of Fraud. 6. Data-Driven Fraud Detection Part IV: FRAUD INVESTIGATION. 7. Investigating Theft Acts. 8. Investigating Concealment. 9. Conversion Investigation Methods. 10. Inquiry Methods and Fraud Reports. Part V: MANAGEMENT FRAUD. 11. Financial Statement Fraud. 12. Revenue- and Inventory-Related Financial Statement Frauds. 13. Liability, Asset, and Inadequate Disclosure Frauds. Part VI: OTHER TYPES OF FRAUD. 14. Fraud Against Organizations. 15. Consumer Fraud. 16. Bankruptcy, Divorce, and Tax Fraud. 17. e-Commerce Fraud. Part VII: RESOLUTION OF FRAUD. 18. Legal Follow-Up. Appendix. Bibliography. Glossary.

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Book SynopsisGetting Everything You Can Out of All You''ve Got is a revolutionary new strategic business and marketing handbook. The author is Jay Abraham, the young Californian whose meteoric rise to the ranks of the super-rich has led business leaders around the world to wonder, what''s his secret? The book is a collection of today''s most successful business growth ideas that will enable everyone to identify the hidden assets, overlooked opportunities and untapped resources that will guarantee phenomenal growth for their business. Packed with case histories, examples and groundbreaking ideas, Getting Everything You Can Out of All You''ve Got will revolutionise your business - whatever its size. Includes today''s top strategies for growth; Shows you how to adapt profit-orientated practices to suit your own business; Includes personal and career advice to help you get everything you can out of life; Brings together the most powerful, effective, timely and state of the art ideas; Written by Jay Abraham, the world-famous direct marketing phenomenon.Trade ReviewMarketing whizz Jay Abraham provides some powerful strategies for boosting your career or business in Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got. Abraham believes that anyone can advance in life by tapping into hidden assets and developing the right mindset. He writes, "You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically increase your income, power, influence and success. The problem is, you just don't see them." Over the course of 21 chapters, he shows how to get ahead by treating bosses and clients as valued friends; find better and more exciting ways of doing things; develop "unique selling propositions"; persuade people to follow your lead; master the art of selling on the telephone; craft a formal referral system; sell on the Internet; and forge strong, established business relationships. Abraham's central theme is that everyone is in sales. In almost any profession, people must be skilled at selling themselves and their ideas, not just their company's product or service. Engagingly written, the book features more than 200 examples of people and companies who have successfully used these techniques, from Bill Gates and Dennis Rodman to Sharper Image and Federal Express. * Dan Ring, Amazon.com *Jay Abraham is able to take almost any company and uncover a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $1 million in windfall profits that the company was just sitting on, waiting to be harvested. * Anthony Robbins, the author of 'Personal Power, Unlimited Power' and 'Awaken the Giant Within' *He's the only self-improvement author I've met (and I've met hundreds) who actually promises to give you an immediate financial gain. * Vic Conant, the President of Nightingale-Conant, the world's largest publisher of business and personal achievement audios *

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Book SynopsisThe global, go-to guide that started the Value Selling Revolutionânow updated for todayâs marketâœValueâ is about more than just price. Good salespeople understand that and know what differentiates their products from that of competitors. In the first edition of Value-Added Selling, industry guru Tom Reilly tackled the most common problem that salespeople faced: overcoming customer concerns about pricing. That book went on to become the global, go-to guide for value-added selling. Since then, the industryâand the worldâhas changed dramatically. Developments in technology, including price comparison apps and search engines, now provide consumers with more information than ever, making it much harder to value and sell your product. Additionally, millennials, who now comprise the largest population in the workforce, prefer to do things differently than prior generations. This updated fourth edition of Reillyâs classic guide examines the latest trends and technoTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: The Value-Added Selling PhilosophyChapter 1: How to Start and Sustain a Movement in Your OrganizationChapter 2: Value-Added SellingChapter 3: Small-Wins SellingChapter 4: The Critical Buying PathChapter 5: The Value-Added Selling ProcessChapter 6: The Psychology of Price ShoppingChapter 7: Customer MessagingPart II: Value-Added Selling StrategiesChapter 8: High-Value Target Account SelectionChapter 9: Target Account PenetrationChapter 10: Customer-izingChapter 11: PositioningChapter 12: DifferentiatingChapter 13: PresentingChapter 14: SupportingChapter 15: Relationship BuildingChapter 16: TinkeringChapter 17: Value ReinforcementChapter 18: LeveragingPart III: Value-Added Selling TacticsChapter 19: Filling Your PipelineChapter 20: Precall PlanningChapter 21: Opening the Sales CallChapter 22: The Needs-Analysis StageChapter 23: The Presentation StageChapter 24: The Commitment Stage (Closing)Chapter 25: Handling ObjectionsChapter 26: Postcall ActivitiesPart IV: Special TopicsChapter 27: Managing Multiple Decision MakersChapter 28: Competing in an Amazon WorldChapter 29: Value-Added Inside SalesChapter 30: Final ThoughtsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'For anyone interested in becoming a better manager' - Bill Gates -------- Discover the revolutionary approach to goal-setting behind the explosive growth of Intel, Google, Amazon and Uber. In 1999, legendary venture capitalist John Doerr invested nearly $12 million in a small startup that had amazing technology, entrepreneurial energy and sky-high ambitions, but no real business plan. After implementing Doerr's system of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), the company grew exponentially. Today, that same startup - Google - has a market cap exceeding $600 billion. Doerr has introduced OKRs to more than fifty companies, helping tech giants and charities exceed all expectations. In the OKR model, objectives define what we seek to achieve and key results are how those top- priority goals will be attained. They focus effort, foster coordination and enhance workplace satisfaction. For the first time in MeasureTrade Review'In this indispensable book, the most important venture capitalist of our era reveals a key to business innovation and success. This crisp and colourful book combines fascinating case studies with insightful personal stories to show how OKRs can add magic to organisations of any size' -- Walter Isaacson * author of Steve Jobs and The Innovators *Whether you're a seasoned CEO or a first-time entrepreneur, you'll find valuable lessons, tools, and inspiration in the pages of Measure What Matters. I'm glad John invested the time to share these ideas with the world -- Reid Hoffman * cofounder of LinkedIn and author of The Start-up of You *'Measure What Matters is a gift to every leader or entrepreneur who wants a more transparent, accountable and effective team. It encourages the kind of big, bold bets that can transform an organization' -- John Chambers * executive chairman of Cisco *'Measure What Matters takes you behind the scenes for the creation of Intel's powerful OKR system - one of Andy Grove's finest legacies' -- Gordon Moore * cofounder and former chairman of Intel *

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Book SynopsisIf you are a leader - or aspiring to be one - then tools like PowerPoint detract, not add, to how your performance will be received. In fact, leadership and the ability to speak and sell yourself and your ideas are inextricably intertwined. Successful leaders speak to help listeners know themselves as well as to influence and inspire them. Chris Witt has helped hundreds of executives take their game to another level. Because, when you are a leader, being a good speaker isn''t enough. You have to be a great speaker. Your reputation and the success of your business depend on being able to speak to a variety of audiences confidently and persuasively. Through contemporary and historical examples, Chris provides practical advice on how his readers can take their game to another level by understanding ideas such as:* You are the message - it''s your experience, vision and character that audiences want* As a leader, you have only three speeches: to identify, to influence and to insTrade Reviewfull of good advice * PROFESSIONAL MANAGER, Jan 10 *Geared toward those looking to get a leg up at work, shape their ideas and overcome the public speaking jitters, Witt's quick, witty instructional makes a fine addition to the office arsenal. * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

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Book SynopsisJean-Noël Kapferer is one of world's foremost thought leaders on luxury and its brands. An active researcher, HEC Paris graduate and PhD-holder from Northwestern University's Kellogg Business School (USA), Kapferer is co-author of The Luxury Strategy and The New Strategic Brand Management and has written many seminal articles. He is a sought after speaker, leading seminars on luxury all around the world at institutions such as HEC Paris, Tsing Hua University Beijing, Seoul Luxury Business Institute and LBI Shanghai. He is also advisor to the president of Inseec Business School (Paris).Trade Review"Kapferer strikes a powerful balance between marketing theory and the real world making it an accessible read....Kapferer is the authority on luxury branding. His work spans decades and he's partnered with an enviable number of researchers and authors." * John King, Head of Marketing at Asons Solicitors, for the Legal Support Network *"getAbstract recommends his insights to students of economic trends as well as luxury brand investors, managers, marketers and sellers." * getAbstract, Inc. *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction: Growth issues for luxury; Section - ONE: How luxury is changing; Chapter - 01: Sustaining the luxury dream: challenges and insights; Chapter - 02: Abundant rarity: the key to luxury growth; Chapter - 03: The artification of luxury: from artisans to artists; Section - TWO: Specific issues and challenges; Chapter - 04: Luxury after the crisis: pro logo or no logo?; Chapter - 05: Why luxury should not delocalize: a critique of a growing tendency; Chapter - 06: Internet and luxury: under-adopted or ill-adapted?; Chapter - 07: Does luxury have a minimum price?: an exploratory study into consumers’ psychology of luxury prices; Chapter - 08: All that glitters is not green: the challenge of sustainable luxury; Section - THREE: The business side of luxury brands’ growth; Chapter - 09: Not all luxuries act alike: the distinct business models of luxury brands; Chapter - 10: The LVMH–Bulgari agreement: what changes in the luxury market lead family companies to sell up?; Chapter - 11: Developing luxury brands within luxury groups: synergies without dilution?

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Book SynopsisPeter Hill is a qualified accountant (both Chartered and Certified) with 30 years' experience. He is a partner at Mark Holt and Co Chartered Accountants and Healium LLP business growth specialists. He has worked as a business consultant for over 15 years, driving up the financial performance of businesses of all sizes. Peter is also a sought-after business speaker and runs business seminars on pricing and profit improvement across the UK and internationally, for most of the major banks (Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC), for the Ran One accountancy network, and for SWAT, the largest UK trainer of accountants.Trade Review"Like the best business books, Pricing for Profit is meant to be actionable. Chapters on creating packages, choices, and options offer new ways to think about what you're offering and how you're selling. And the entire book is filled with action steps to think through how to implement a smarter pricing strategy for your business. Unless you have the whole pricing equation nailed down, you're going to find something in this book that you can put to use in your business." * Daria Steigman, Solo PR Pro *"Hill discusses common pricing myths, explains how pricing works best and offers easy-to-implement pricing recommendations that could increase your profits. getAbstract recommends this smart, pragmatic manual to 'CEOs, finance directors, sales managers, marketing analysts, accountants and strategic planners,' and to anyone who sells a product or service." * getAbstract, Inc. *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Pricing in context; Chapter - 02: Why is pricing so difficult?; Chapter - 03: The remarkable benefits of getting pricing right; Chapter - 04: How most businesses price and why these methods are wrong; Chapter - 05: Understanding value versus cost; Chapter - 06: Packaging for higher prices; Chapter - 07: Customers don’t always want the cheapest; Chapter - 08: Exploding all of the myths about pricing; Chapter - 09: Using guarantees to get increased prices; Chapter - 10: Discounting; Chapter - 11: Presenting the price properly; Chapter - 12: Directional pricing; Chapter - 13: Dealing with the human factor; Chapter - 14: Getting financial clarity; Chapter - 15: Your action plan; Chapter - 16: The final word on pricing for profit

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Book Synopsis* This is a work of real quality on an immensely important topic - i.e. why the current financial crisis came about and what we can and should do to reform the financial system.Trade Review“This is an important book. It is clearly destined to become one of the very best accounts of the financial crisis – it is clear, concise and very readable. Its deep theoretical understanding of the issues is combined with the best short account of the historical evolution of the capitalist financial system that I have encountered. The result is a sophisticated and accessible analysis of how a better financial system might be constructed.” – Geoffrey Ingham, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsIntroduction Part One: Phenomenology I. Do we know what the financial markets are? II. At the root of the possibility of crisis: liquidity and risk III. What is credit? IV. What is money? V. Finance starting from the end VI. Capitalism and debt: a matter of life and death Part Two: History I. From credit risk to liquidity risk (2008) II. The globalization of capital (1973) III. ‘Fiat dollar'. And the world saw that it was good (1971) IV. The Eurodollar chimera (1958) V. The European Payments Union (1950) VI. Bretton Woods: the plan that might have made it (1944) VII. Bretton Woods: the system that found implementation (1944) VIII. The crisis paradigm (1929) IX. Orchestra Rehearsal X. Money before and after the gold standard (1717) XI. The Bank of England and power currency (1694) XII. The International Currency of the Trade Fairs (1579) Part Three: Politics I. Double or quits? II. The way out of liquidity: the Gordian knot and utopia III. Prevention or cure? The structural paradox of the anti-crisis policies IV. The other finance V. The (rare) "green shoots" of a possible reform VI. If not now, when?

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Book SynopsisSet against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the story of a Texas man who, in 1931, set out to walk backwards around the world.

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Book SynopsisThis book''s unique perspective stems from its knowledge diamond framework to examine how individuals, communities, organizations and host industries reciprocally influence each other in the course of knowledge work. This highly topical book focuses on work-based projects as a focus for organizational learning. Establishes the link between individual, community, organization and industry learning. Suggests that organizations need to recognise and understand this link if they are to capitalize on project-based learning. Incorporates material on project-based learning in virtual communities. Refers to different examples, such as the film industry, the software industry and the boat building industry. Includes end-of-chapter questions provoking reflection and discussion. Trade Review"In this book the authors bridge a gap in the economic literature with a fresh and lively account of the crucial links among workers, knowledge work, and economic performance. Given the multi-dimensional character of the topic, they do not provide all the answers but they pose questions and guide the reader forward. This book sets the agenda on the knowledge-based economy and the complex relations that drive it." Michael Best, University of Massachusetts Lowell "This book provides an extraordinary integration of literature on knowledge work, accompanied by a large number of cases and stories to illustrate underlying ideas. I can think of no book that offers such a stimulating and thought-provoking blend of theory and practice. Both present and future managers will greatly enjoy this book." Lars Lindkvist, Linköping University "Both scholarly and streetwise, this book does a great job in showing what knowledge work means for the lives of the people who do it, and the performance of the organizations that try to manage it." Harry Scarborough, University of Warwick "A very impressive account of 'knowledge at work' on several levels of analysis: individual, organization, industry, and community; that successfully connects with managerial practice" Joerg Sydow, Free University of Berlin "This book provides unique insights into the drivers behind the knowledge economy, showing how individuals, groups, organizations and industries create and use knowledge. It provides an important and highly readable contribution to contemporary understanding of knowledge and learning processes.” David Gann, Imperial College London "For those of us wilting under the weight of new publications on knowledge and knowledge management this book provides a welcome refuge in what is a busy, crowded and often confusing zone. Not only does it provide a broad ranging and thorough review of the key issues, but it also challenges the reader to reflect on them chapter by chapter. The book recognises what too many others don’t that all the company procedures and IT-based knowledge management systems are just tools and that people are at the centre of the knowledge based economy. The strength of the book lies in its grounding in real work examples and in its consistent use of a framework – the knowledge diamond – which highlights the interdependencies of four key participants in knowledge work: individuals, communities, organizations and industries. It should be useful to both knowledge workers themselves and those that study them." Dr Tim Brady, University of BrightonTable of ContentsPreface. 1. Knowledge Workers and Knowledge Work. Knowledge Work in the Global Economy. What Do Knowledge Workers Do?. Explicit and Tacit Knowledge. Who Owns the Knowledge?. Knowing and Learning. The Interplay of Knowing and Learning. Knowledge Work as Practice. Communication between Practices. Tools for Knowledge Work. Clossed versus Open Perspectives. Participants in Knowledge Work. The Individual. The Community. The Organization. The Industry. The Knowledge Diamond. The Chapters to Follow. Questions for Reflection. 2. Individual Knowledge at Work. Three Ways of Knowing. Knowing-why. Knowing-how. Knowing-whom. Interdependence among the Ways of Knowing. The Individual and the Knowledge Diamond. One Individual and Another. The Individual and the Community. The Individual and the Organization. The Individual and the Industry. Keeping the Individual in View. Other Ways of Knowing?. Free Agency and Trust. Networks and Social Capital. Tools for Individuals. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 3. Community Knowledge at Work. Three Dimensions of Community Activity. Joint Enterprise. Shared Repertoire. Mutual Engagement. Interdependence among the Dimensions. The Community and the Knowledge Diamond. One Community and Another. The Community and the Organization. The Community and the Industry. The Community and the Individual. Keeping the Community in View. Other Meanings of Community. Organizational Communities. Occupational Communities. Community Social Capital. The Returns on Community Social Capital. Community and Inter-Community Knowledge Work. Tools for Communities. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 4. Organizational Knowledge at Work. The Organization's Core Competencies. Organizational Culture. Organizational Capabilities. Organizational Connections. Interdependencies Among the Core Competencies. The Organization and the Knowledge Diamond. One Organization and Another. The Organization and the Individual. The Organization and the Community. The Organization and the Industry. Keeping the Organization in View. Knowledge Transfer in Strategic Alliances. Exploitation versus Exploration. Codification versus Personalization. Closed versus Open Innovation. Tools for Organizations. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 5. Industry Knowledge at Work. Three Attributes of Industry Activity. Industry Milieu. Industry Recipes. Industry System. Interdependence among Industry Attributes. The Industry and the Knowledge Diamond. One Industry and another. The Industry and the individual. The Industry and the community. The Industry and the organization. Keeping the Industry in View. Industry Regions and Regional Advantage. Regional Closure and Brokerage. Knowledge Transfer between Industries. Business Ecosystems. Tools for Industries. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 6. Projects and Knowledge Work. The Evolution of Project-Based Knowledge. Variation: The Beginnings of Exploration. Selection: Between Exploration and Exploitation. Retention: The shift to exploitation. Projects As Episodes in Knowledge Work. Contrasting Project-based Learning Experiences. Low Performance, Low Learning. High Performance, Low Learning. Low Performance, High Learning. High Performance, High Learning. Learning Landscapes and their Beneficiaries. Organizations and Project Organizing. Projects, Practice and "Boundary Objects". Tools for Project Work. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 7. Virtual Knowledge Work. Virtual versus Physical Space. Properties of Virtual Communications. Brokerage and Closure in Virtual Work. Managing Virtual Projects. Working with a Distant Subsidiary. Working on a Complex Project. Selecting Communications Media. Facilitating Cross-Disciplinary Teams. Open Source Software Communities. Grid Computing. From e-Business to Virtual Product Testing. Tools for Virtual Work. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 8. Global Knowledge and Learning. The Global Organization. Harnessing and exploiting local knowledge. Acting Locally, Thinking Globally. Born Global through International Alliances. Knowledge Flows in Global Organizations. The Individual's Role in Global Knowledge Work. The Community's Role in Global Knowledge Work. Local versus Global Knowledge. Accessing Global Knowledge Workers. An Integrative Model. Tools for Global Knowledge Work. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 9. Intellectual Property in Knowledge Work. Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Diamond. The Individual. The Community. The Organization. The Industry. A Changing Global Context. Individual-Organization Conflict. Contrasting Organizational Strategies. National Initiatives. Open Knowledge Sharing. An Intellectual Property Paradox. Tools Related to Intellectual Property. Knowledge Policy in the Corporate World. Summary. Questions for Reflection. 10. Participating in the Knowledge Economy. The Knowledge Diamond at Work. Why, How and with Whom We Work. Conditions Underlying Knowledge Work. Alignment. Conflict. Open Versus Closed Positions. Process Behind Knowledge Work. Making and Sustaining Connections. The evolution of projects. Collaboration Over the Web. Contributing to Global Knowledge Work. Developing Intellectual Property. Using the Knowledge Work Tool-kit. Playing Parallel Roles. A Final Message. Questions for Reflection. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisWritten in a crisp and approachable style, Games and Information uses simple modeling techniques and straightforward explanations to provide students with an understanding of game theory and information economics. * Written for introductory courses seeking a little rigor.Trade ReviewPraise for the 3rd edition "Rasmusen’s Games and Information provides wonderful coverage of the basics of game theory and information economics. His consistent style of presenting the theoretical structures lucidly unifies his test’s wide and well-chosen range of applications. I wish that all my students could take a course based on this book, and envy them the opportunity." Maxwell B. Stinchcombe, University of Texas at Austin "This is a terrific book bringing together two strands in the recent literature on economic theory, namely game theory and the economics of asymmetric information. The style is brisk, the arguments are rigorous and it seems to be pitched at exactly the right level." Partha Dasgupta, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsList of Figures. List of Tables. List of Games. Preface. Contents and Purpose. Changes in the Second Edition (1994). Changes in the Third Edition (2001). Changes in the Fourth Edition (2006). Using the Book. The Level of Mathematics. Other Books. Contact Information. Acknowledgements. Introduction. History. Game Theory’s Method. Exemplifying Theory. This Book’s Style. Notes. PART 1: GAME THEORY. 1. The Rules of the Game. Definitions. Dominated and Dominant Strategies: The Prisoner’s Dilemma. Iterated Dominance: The Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Nash Equilibrium: Boxed Pigs, The Battle of the Sexes and Ranked Coordination. Focal Points. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 2. Information. The Strategic and Extensive Forms of a Game. Information Sets. Perfect, Certain, Symmetric, and Complete Information. The Harsanyi Transformation and Bayesian Games. Example: The Png Settlement Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 3. Mixed and Continuous Strategies. Mixed Strategies: The Welfare Game. The Payoff-equating Method and Games of Timing. Mixed Strategies with General Parameters and N Players: The Civic Duty Game. Randomizing is not Always Mixing: The Auditing Game. Continuous Strategies: The Cournot Game. Continuous Strategies: The Bertrand Game, Strategic Complements, and Strategic. Substitutes. Existence of Equilibrium. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 4. Dynamic Games with Symmetric Information. Subgame Perfectness. An Example of Perfectness: Entry Deterrence I. Credible Threats, Sunk Costs, and the Open-Set Problem in the Game of Nuisance Suits. Recoordination to Pareto-dominant Equilibria in Subgames: Pareto Perfection. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 5. Reputation and Repeated Games with Symmetric Information. Finitely Repeated Games and the Chainstore Paradox. Infinitely Repeated Games, Minimax Punishments, and the Folk Theorem. Reputation: The One-sided Prisoner’s Dilemma. Product Quality in an Infinitely Repeated Game. Markov Equilibria and Overlapping Generations: Customer Switching Costs. Evolutionary Equilibrium: The Hawk-Dove Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 6. Dynamic Games with Incomplete Information. Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium: Entry Deterrence II and III. Refining Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium in the Entry Deterrence and PhD Admissions Games. The Importance of Common Knowledge: Entry Deterrence IV and V. Incomplete Information in the Repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma: The Gang of Four Model. The Axelrod Tournament. Credit and the Age of the Firm: The Diamond Model. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. PART 2: ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION. 7. Moral Hazard: Hidden Actions. Categories of Asymmetric Information Models. A Principal-agent Model: The Production Game. The Incentive Compatibility and Participation Constraints. Optimal Contracts: The Broadway Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 8. Further Topics in Moral Hazard. Efficiency Wages. Tournaments. Institutions and Agency Problems. Renegotiation: The Repossession Game. State-space Diagrams: Insurance Games I and II. Joint Production by Many Agents: The Holmstrom Teams Model. The Multitask Agency Problem. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 9. Adverse Selection. Introduction: Production Game VI. Adverse Selection under Certainty: Lemons I and II. Heterogeneous Tastes: Lemons III and IV. Adverse Selection under Uncertainty: Insurance Game III. Market Microstructure. A Variety of Applications. Adverse Selection and Moral Hazard Combined: Production Game VII. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 10. Mechanism Design and Postcontractual Hidden Knowledge. Mechanisms, Unravelling, Cross Checking, and the Revelation Principle. Myerson Mechanism Design. An Example of Postcontractual Hidden Knowledge: The Salesman Game. The Groves Mechanism. Price Discrimination. Rate-of-return Regulation and Government Procurement. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 11. Signalling. The Informed Player Moves First: Signalling. Variants on the Signalling Model of Education. General Comments on Signalling in Education. The Informed Player Moves Second: Screening. Two Signals: The Game of Underpricing New Stock Issues. Signal Jamming and Limit Pricing. Countersignalling. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. PART 3: APPLICATIONS. 12. Bargaining. The Basic Bargaining Problem: Splitting a Pie. The Nash Bargaining Solution. Alternating Offers over Finite Time. Alternating Offers over Infinite Time. Incomplete Information. Setting Up a Way to Bargain: The Myerson–Satterthwaite Mechanism. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 13. Auctions. Values Private and Common, Continuous and Discrete. Optimal Strategies under Different Rules in Private-value Auctions. Revenue Equivalence, Risk Aversion, and Uncertainty. Reserve Prices and the Marginal Revenue Approach. Common-value Auctions and the Winner’s Curse. Asymmetric Equilibria, Affiliation, and Linkage: The Wallet Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 14. Pricing. Quantities as Strategies: Cournot Equilibrium Revisited. Capacity Constraints: The Edgeworth Paradox. Location Models. Comparative Statics and Supermodular Games. Vertical Differentiation. Durable Monopoly. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. Mathematical Appendix. Notation. The Greek Alphabet. Glossary. Formulas and Functions. Probability Distributions. Supermodularity. Fixed Point Theorems. Genericity. Discounting. Risk. References and Name Index. Subject Index

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Book SynopsisThe Definitive Guide to Doing Business in AfricaFor global and Africa-based companies looking to access new growth markets, Africa offers exciting opportunities to build large, profitable businesses. Its population is young, fast-growing, and increasingly urbanized--while rapid technology adoption makes the continent a fertile arena for innovation. But Africa's business environment remains poorly understood; it's known to many executives in the West only by its reputation for complexity, conflict, and corruption.Africa's Business Revolution provides the inside story on business in Africa and its future growth prospects and helps executives understand and seize the opportunities for building profitable, sustainable enterprises. From senior leaders in McKinsey's African offices and a leading executive on the continent, this book draws on in-depth proprietary research by the McKinsey Global Institute as well as McKinsey's extensive experience advising corporate and government leaders across Africa. Brimming with company case studies and exclusive interviews with some of Africa's most prominent executives, this book comes to life with the vibrant stories of those who have navigated the many twists and turns on the road to building successful businesses on the continent.Combining an unrivalled fact base with expert advice on shaping and executing an Africa growth strategy, this book is required reading for global business executives looking to expand their existing operations in Africa--and for those seeking a road map to access this vast, untapped market for the first time.Trade Review"This is a truly disruptive book, suggesting that today's ambitious entrepreneurs look not to space or silicon but to the savannah." -- Publisher's WeeklyAdvance Praise for Africa's Business Revolution:Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund--"Africa's Business Revolution is a thought-provoking read that confronts many of the myths about Africa and provides a strategic guide to navigating an incredibly dynamic and diverse continent. Africa is experiencing a historic demographic change and I cannot think of a more opportune time for us all to consider the possibilities arising from this transformation."Tidjane Thiam, CEO, Credit Suisse--"Africa is not a special continent sitting on a different planet. It presents huge opportunities here and now, and many companies and entrepreneurs are already going after them successfully. This book is a major step in normalizing the way the business world looks at and thinks about Africa."Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited--"A powerful and compelling guide that captures practical know-how for doing profitable and socially impactful business in Africa. This book reaffirms my conviction that Africa is the best-kept secret for a profitable and fulfilling business enterprise."Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chairman, Mo Ibrahim Foundation--"Africa is a billion-person market on the cusp of transformative growth--yet until now little has been published on how global businesses can be part of this exciting story. Africa's Business Revolution fills that gap: it weaves together the authors' rich experience with the perspectives of some of Africa's most successful business leaders."Penny Pritzker, Founder and Chairman, PSP Partners; former United States Secretary of Commerce--"This is a must-read for any global business leader looking for opportunities to deliver outsize returns to stakeholders while also meeting Africa's huge unmet demand for goods and services."David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman, The Carlyle Group--"The last great emerging market is Africa. For those investors interested in learning why the market offers enormous opportunities over the coming decade, Africa's Business Revolution is an indispensable guidebook."

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Book Synopsiso How do nations escape poverty and achieve economic and social progress? Ian Goldin, a former vice-president of the World Bank, explains what development means in its broadest sense - encompassing education, health, and gender equality as well as economic growth. He discusses the shift from state-led strategies, to ones driven by market forces.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition An authoritative and highly readable account of evolution of economic and social development that goes beyond a focus on economic growth to a broader understanding of well-being. * David Lorimer, Network Reviews *Wise, succinct, well-informed, broad ranging, and deep...very accessible and admirable in its brevity. A splendid achievement. * Nicholas Stern, President of the British Academy *Succinct, highly readable, and reasoned...from...a world-leading development thinker and practitioner. * Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General *Table of Contents1: What is development? 2: How does development happen? 3: Why are some countries rich and others poor? 4: What can be done to accelerate development? 5: The evolution of development aid 6: Sustainable development 7: Globalization and development 8: The future of development References Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the relationship between the management of creativity and creative approaches to management. * Challenges the stereotypical opposition between 'creatives' and 'suits'. * Draws on the work of management theorists such as Mintzberg and Porter and creativity theorists such as Amabile and Boden.Trade Review"This important book demonstrates exactly why a full understanding of creativity really matters – not only in the context of developing more vibrant and personally satisfying areas of economic activity, but even more importantly, in its ability to help us develop a better understanding of the value of creative individuals in the 21st century" from the foreword by Lord Puttnam "This is an exceptional book in three respects. Firstly, it is a book about management that truly appreciates the creative process. Secondly, it is a book about creativity that understands and seeks to engage with practical business realities. And, finally, Management and Creativity actually proves its own thesis: that the best thinking occurs when the worlds of “creativity” and “business” intersect." Stephen Cummings, Victoria University of Wellington "The book will appeal to a broad audience of creatives, policy-markers and students looking for an alterantice, sounder framework for understanding how to nurture creativity in the workplace." Management TodayTable of ContentsForeword. Acknowledgements. Introduction: Creativity and the Creative Industries. 1. Defining Creativity. A Tale of Two Corridors. What Is Creativity?. What Creativity Is Not. Case Study: A Vision in a Dream?. Mapping the Great Divide: From Education to the Workplace. The Mythology of Genius. Case Study: The Genius and the Water-carrier. False Profits: The Creative Industries. 2. From Individuals to Processes: Creative Teams and Innovation. From Individuals to Teams. Innovation and Teams. Beyond Specialization: Creative Work in the Creative Industries. Playing Many Parts: Creative Roles in the Creative Industries. Case Study: Repositioning Creativity in Advertising. Growing the Creative Team: Familiarization or Specialization?. Managing the Creative Team. Creative Tension and the Need for Trust. Creative Teams Need Uncreative People. 3. Creative Systems: Implications for Management and Policy in the Creative Industries. The Cultural Geography of the Creative Industries. The Strength of Weak Ties. Case Study: Theatre as a Creative System. Implications for Management. Managing Creative Systems by ‘Brokering’ Knowledge. Implications for Policy. Systems and Sustainability. 4. Managing Creative Work through Release and Control: The Myth of the Self-motivated Creative Worker. The World Turned Upside Down. Case Study: Changing Management Styles at the BBC. Whistle While You Work: Changing Theories of Employee Motivation. Out of Control: The Myth of the Self-motivated Creative Worker. The Isolation of Creative Work. Bounded Creativity: Creativity through Control and Constraint. Case Study: Musician for Hire -- Boundaries for Musical Composition. False Freedom: The New Management Style in Practice. Case Study: Management in the Movies -- Wise Children and Men in Suits. Beginnings and Endings. The Rules of the Game. 5. Seeing the Pattern: Strategy, Leadership and Adhocracy. The Strategy Wars: Orientation versus Animation. Strategy and Creativity. Strategy in an Open System. Case Study: Emergent Patterns in Film Marketing. Strategy as Continuity in Change. Case Study: Are You Paying Attention? Jazz, Improvisation and Creative Listening in Strategy Formation. Strategy and Posthocracy: Being Decisive. Strategy as Process. 6. Business Development and Organizational Change. What Is Organizational Change?. The Change Cycle. Incremental Change. Case Study: Creativity and Change at Marks and Spencer. The Aesthetics of Organizational Change: Organizational Integrity. Aligning Individual and Collective Change. Evolutionary Change. Creativity and Change. 7. From Creative Marketing to Creative Consumption. Symbolic Goods. Postmodern Marketing. Case Study: Arts Marketing -- From Products to Experiences. From Segments to Sub-cultures: Bringing the Audience Back in. The New Value Chain. Case Study: In Search of Oldton. Towards the Social Product. Letting Go. The Aesthetics of Marketing. 8. The Politics of Creativity. Promoting the Creative Economy. Case Study: Creative New Zealand -- The Branding of Creativity. From ‘Cultural’ to ‘Creative’ Industries. Creative Industries and Cultural Policy: Assumptions and Models. The Politics of Management. Creativity Is Difficult. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisTransforming Travel combines stories from leading companies, interviews with pioneers and thinkers, along with thorough analysis of the industry's potential to make lasting, positive change. - A unique collection of case studies and stories of the most successful, inspirational, impactful and innovative travel businesses in the world. - A vital presentation of the latest research and statistics on the positive impacts and potential of transformative, sustainable tourism, - A positive and realistic vision of the scope of tourism to promote sustainable development at a time when travel and interaction with foreign cultures is facing numerous existential challenges. Written in a highly engaging style Transforming Travel presents an urgent argument for transforming tourism so it might reach its potential to promote tolerance, restore communities and regenerate habitats, while providing a vital guide for anyone looking to develop the successful sustainable tourism enterprises and destinations needed to do so.Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: The Transformative Hotel 3: Transforming Travel Experiences 4: Transforming Places 5: Transforming Transport 6: Transforming Communication 7: Conclusion: Transforming Tourism 8: Further Reading

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Book SynopsisRobots may one day rule the world, but what is a robot-ruled Earth like?Many think the first truly smart robots will be brain emulations or ems. Scan a human brain, then run a model with the same connections on a fast computer, and you have a robot brain, but recognizably human.Train an em to do some job and copy it a million times: an army of workers is at your disposal. When they can be made cheaply, within perhaps a century, ems will displace humans in most jobs. In this new economic era, the world economy may double in size every few weeks.Some say we can''t know the future, especially following such a disruptive new technology, but Professor Robin Hanson sets out to prove them wrong. Applying decades of expertise in physics, computer science, and economics, he uses standard theories to paint a detailed picture of a world dominated by ems.While human lives don''t change greatly in the em era, em lives are as different from ours as our lives are from those of our farmer and forager Trade ReviewHanson's predictions detail a world both uncanny and eerily familiar. * Mary Craig, Nature *Plenty of futurists and science fiction writers have toyed with the idea that the brains of particular humans could one day be scanned and uploaded into artificial hardware but Prof Hanson's take is different. His aim is to use standard theories from the physical, human and social sciences to make forecasts about how this technological breakthrough would really change our world * Sarah O' Connor, Financial Times *What is remarkable ... is not just the detail ... but the way he situates it within a perceptive analysis of our human past and present * Daniel J. Levitin, Wall Street Journal Europe *What happens when a first-rate economist applies his rigor, breadth, and curiosity to the sci-fi topic of whole brain emulations? This book is what happens. There's nothing else like it, and it will blow your (current) mind. * Andrew McAfee, Professor of Business, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *Robin Hanson brings intelligence, imagination, and courage to some of the most profound questions humanity will be dealing with in the middle-term future. The Age of Em is a stimulating and unique book that will be valuable to anyone who wants to look past the next ten years to the next hundred and the next thousand. * Sean Carroll, Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology, author The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself *A highly provocative vision of a technologically advanced future that may or may not come true — but if it does, we'll be glad Robin wrote this book now. * Marc Andreessen, cofounder Netscape, Andreessen Horowitz *Table of ContentsIntroduction Basics 1: Start 2: Modes 3: Framing 4: Assumptions 5: Implementation Physics 6: Scales 7: Infrastructure 8: Appearances 9: Information 10: Existence 11: Farewells Economics 12: Labor 13: Efficiency 14: Work 15: Business 16: Growth 17: Lifecycle Organization 18: Clumping 19: Groups 20: Conflict 21: Politics 22: Rules Sociology 23: Mating 24: Signals 25: Collaboration 26: Society 27: Minds Implications 28: Variations 29: Choices 30: Finale

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Book SynopsisHR leader and popular Everyday People blogger Steve Browne takes a fresh look at HR through an engaging assortment of real-life examples, insights, and epiphanies and encourages practitioners to drop the preconceptions of what HR should be and instead look to what HR could be.

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Book SynopsisThe first photographic celebration of the most famous recording studio in the world with a foreword by Sir George Martin.Trade ReviewLucid and lavishly illustrated—a fine gift for pop and music history buffs. Appropriately ambitious biography of the recording studio that gave the world the Beatles’ eponymous swan song—but also, lest it be forgotten, the works of Helen Shapiro and Vanessa-Mae. Helen and Vanessa who? It helps to be a music geek, if not of a certain age, to appreciate the depths of BBC music critic Lawrence’s history of Abbey Road studios, which has been online for nearly nine decades now. For those who are not such geeks, then the basic bits of essential knowledge, all to be found in his pages, are these: The studio was built in the heart of St. John’s Wood, “London’s first garden suburb,” in a refitted Georgian mansion, and in those august surroundings was inaugurated under the baton of none other than Edward Elgar, he of “Pomp and Circumstance” fame. It was also a sonic laboratory, a place to test not only gear to help King George VI work through his stutter (the stuff of the hit movie The King’s Speech) but also the stereophonic, aurally deceptive goodies that would be put to use in the psychedelic era under the tutelage of good Sir George Martin. Before all that, though, Abbey Road had to make the transition from stuffy classical facility to pop wonderland. If you knew that the first pop hit to emerge from Abbey Road was “Cowpuncher’s Cantata” in 1952, then you will not need or profit from Lawrence’s considerable labors, but if you did not—or did not know that Pink Floyd, Radiohead and even Mel Gibson recorded here—then this book is certainly worthy of time and exploration. One might quibble with some of his assessments (Was Jeff Beck’s Truth really a forerunner of metal? Were the Hollies really just another cover band?), but Lawrence makes up for it with plenty of fine factual writing, especially on the technological side. Lucid and lavishly illustrated—a fine gift for pop and music history buffs. * Kirkus *The book is as captivating as the story it tells [...] The book is pure quality from start to finish – from the production, to the design, to the layout and content [...] For fans of music, for musicians, and for cultural historians, this book is definitely a must-have! -- Donna Jackson * British Beatles Fan Club *Abbey Road: The Best Studio in the World is an incredible documentation of cultural history for anyone who values music and how it's made. -- Anita Awbi * PRS for Music *This is the kind of book you dip into for a few minutes and emerge from two hours later – the text always informative, the photographs fresh as yesterday... -- Steven Carroll * The Sydney Morning Herald *Abbey Road is a big book worth lifting. * Rick Librarian *

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. The Investment Setting. 2. Asset Allocation and Security Selection. 3. Organization and Functioning of Securities Markets. 4. Security Market Indexes and Index Funds. 5. Efficient Capital Markets, Behavioral Finance and Technical Analysis. 6. Introduction to Portfolio Management. 7. Asset Pricing Models. 8. Introduction to Financial Statement and Security Analysis. 9. Stock Market and Industry Analysis. 10. Company Analysis. 11. Equity Portfolio Management Strategies. 12. Bond Fundamentals and Valuation. 13. Bond Analysis and Portfolio Management Strategies. 14. Introduction to Derivative Markets and Securities. 15. Forward, Futures and Swap Contracts. 16. Option Contracts and Other Embedded Derivatives. 17. Active Portfolio Management, Alternative Assets and Industry Ethics. 18. Evaluation of Portfolio Performance.

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Book SynopsisFeeling stuck? Find out how to work toward the career of your dreams If you're slogging through your days in a boring or unrewarding job, it may be time to make a big change. Careers For Dummies is a comprehensive career guide from a top career coach and counselor that will help you jump start your career and your life. Dive in to learn more about career opportunities, with a plethora of job descriptions and the certifications, degrees, and continuing education that can help you build the career you've always wanted. Whether you're entering the workforce for the first time or a career-oriented person who needs or wants a change, this book has valuable information that can help you achieve your career goals. Find out how you can build your personal brand to become more attractive to potential employers, how to create a plan to get from here to there on your career path, and access videos and checklists that help to drive home all the key points. If you're not happy in your day-to-dayTable of ContentsForeword xv Introduction 1 Part 1: Finding Your Place in the Work World 5 Chapter 1: Understanding Today’s and Tomorrow’s World of Work 7 Chapter 2: Finding What Makes You Special 17 Part 2: The Careers Catalog 27 Chapter 3: People Careers 29 Chapter 4: Word Careers 45 Chapter 5: People+Word Careers 53 Chapter 6: STEM Careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) 73 Chapter 7: STEM + People or Word Careers 91 Chapter 8: Hands-On Careers 113 Chapter 9: Self-Employment Careers 133 Chapter 10: Making Your Choice 155 Part 3: Getting Trained, Getting Confident 163 Chapter 11: Getting Trained by Degrees 165 Chapter 12: Getting Trained Without a Degree 179 Chapter 13: Getting Emotionally Solid 193 Part 4: Landing a Good Job Faster 205 Chapter 14: Writing Your Way to a Good Job 207 Chapter 15: Getting an “In” 221 Chapter 16: The Relaxed-Yet-Successful Job Interview 237 Chapter 17: One (Hard) Week to a Good Job 247 Chapter 18: Negotiating Wisely 259 Part 5: Succeeding in Your Career 269 Chapter 19: Becoming a Beloved Employee 271 Chapter 20: Building a Name for Yourself 285 Chapter 21: Managing the Bugaboos: Time and Stress 293 Chapter 22: The Career Changer 301 Chapter 23: Finding Your Foundation 315 Chapter 24: What’s Ahead? 321 Part 6: The Part of Tens 325 Chapter 25: Ten Ultrafast Ways to Land a Job 327 Chapter 26: Ten Career Myths 335 Chapter 27: Ten (+ 5) Preachy Pleas 339 Index 345

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Book SynopsisThis write-in workbook is an invaluable resource to help students improve their Maths and English skills and help prepare for Level 1 and Level 2 Functional Skills exams. The real-life questions are all written with a business administration context to help students find essential Maths and English theory understandable, engaging and achievable. Written by Carole Vella, lecturer with a wealth of experience in the Retail and Business Administration industry, this workbook is an effective resource to support Maths and English learning in the classroom, at work and for personal study at home.Trade ReviewEnglish 1. Spelling 2. Alphabetising 3. Comprehension 4. Grammar 5. Punctuation 6. Formal letter writing Maths 7. General mathematics 8. Basic operations 9. Decimals 10. Fractions 11. Percentages 12. Measurement conversions 13. Earning wages 14. Squaring numbers 15. Vouchers 16. Deals 17. Reading, interpreting and understanding information in tables and Charts 18. Practice written examTable of Contents1. Spelling 2. Alphabetising 3. Comprehension 4. Grammar 5. Punctuation 6. Formal letter writing 7. General mathematics 8. Basic operations 9. Decimals 10. Fractions 11. Percentages 12. Measurement conversions 13. Earning wages 14. Squaring numbers 15. Vouchers 16. Deals 17. Reading, interpreting and understanding information in tables and charts 18. Practice written exam

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Book SynopsisFinance Fictions examines the tension between psychosis and realism in the contemporary finance novel and shows that compared to earlier instances of the genre (Wolfe; Ellis), the 21st-century finance novel (Alger; Harris; Houellebecq; Lerner) develops a new realist approach to a contemporary economy of financial instruments and automated trading.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Revisiting The Bonfire of the Vanities 2. Psychotic Realism in (American) Psycho 3. Financial Realism in The Fear Index 4. The Financial Universe (After Meillassoux) 5. Michel Houellebecq, Finance Novelist 6. Financing the Novel: Ben Lerner’s 10:04 Conclusion: Economic Defense Systems; Or: On Financial Immunity Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisSimplify Your Landlord Experience with Smart Strategies and Smarter Tools Without Landlording on Autopilot, I doubt I would have ever succeeded with rental properties. Mike''s book guided my business every step of the way, and I owe a huge debt to Mike for his insights. This book is a MUST-READ for any current or future landlord. -Brandon Turner, BiggerPockets.com Landlording on Autopilot is the property investor's guide to doing it all with less stress and higher profits. As a full-time undercover police detective, author Mike Butler developed his proven, simple system for managing hundreds of rentals on the side; in this book, he shares his methods to help you transition your rentals from a headache into a fun, problem-free source of consistent higher profits and income. Whether you're looking for your first rental property, or just looking for a better way to manage the ones you have, this book shows you his strategies, mind-set, toTable of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii ABOUT THE AUTHOR xix INTRODUCTION: How I Owned and Operated 75 Rental Properties While Working My Full-Time Job as an Undercover Police Detective (BEFORE Hiring a 5-Hour-a-Week Office Person) xxi SECTION I YOU MUST HAVE THE RIGHT MINDSET FIRST CHAPTER 1 Why Residential Rental Properties? 3 Real Estate Investing 101: The Basics 5 Do It Safely—Keep Your Job! 6 Rule 1—Etch This in Stone 7 CHAPTER 2 The Life Cycle of a Tenant from A to Z 11 Point A 11 Point Z 11 A Few Landlording Ground Rules 14 Do Some Research on Your State’s Fair Housing Law 20 Fair Housing Laws and ADA, Both Federal and Local 22 ADA—Americans with Disabilities Act 23 CHAPTER 3 Before You Turn on Your Smartphone: Real Estate Investing Is NOT FIRE, Ready, Aim! 25 Beginner Basics of Autopilot Landlording 26 CHAPTER 4 Never, Never Call Yourself a “Landlord” 31 Stupid Move on My Part 32 My Tenants Already Know Me as Their “Landlord”! 35 CHAPTER 5 Are Tenants Your “Customers”? 39 Why the 1960s TV Show Leave It to Beaver Is Important 40 Your Rental Application Becomes a “Job Application!” 41 What about the Holiday Season? 43 Your Benefit from the Annual Holiday Bash 45 SECTION II BEFORE YOU GIVE KEYS TO YOUR NEW RESIDENT CHAPTER 6 Never Show a Vacant Unit Again! 49 But Mike, What If They Trash My Rental or Steal Stuff? 50 How Can I See a Vista Rental Home? 51 Old School: Submitting the Application Is Your First Critical Step 53 CHAPTER 7 A Rental Application Is Your Crystal Ball 57 Your Rental Application Process Is by Far the MOST Important Link in Your Rental Business 57 Your Rental Application 60 Here Comes the Big Boom 61 The Rental Application Form 62 Why You Can Apply This Very Simple System to Everything You Do in Your Rental Business 69 CHAPTER 8 Never Disqualifying an Applicant Keeps You Safe 81 If You NEVER Disqualify an Applicant…You Will Reduce Your Odds of a Discrimination Complaint 82 CHAPTER 9 Why March 31st Is a Wonderful Day! 85 CHAPTER 10 Your Digital Cookie-Cutter Move-In Process 87 Always Remember Your Residents Cause Their Own Problems 87 CHAPTER 11 Transforming Your Rentals into Tanks and CA$H COW$: “Quality of Your Property Parallels the Quality of Your Tenant” 95 Energy Efficiency 95 Plumbing and HVAC 96 Floor Coverings 97 SECTION III GO 100% DIGITAL AFTER THEY MOVE IN CHAPTER 12 How to Consistently Get Paid Over 100% of Your Rents Every Month 103 Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail 104 Proven Systems Are Time Savers, Money Makers, and Good CYA Programs 104 How Do You Treat Your Real Estate Investing…as a Hobby or a Business? 105 Work SMARTER, Not Harder! 106 “It Doesn’t Cost You Anything to Ask a Question” 107 Payment Plans and Payment Plan Form 109 CHAPTER 13 You Really CAN Teach Pigs to Sing 113 CORRESPONDENCE Is Now 100% Digital 118 CHAPTER 14 Digital Work Orders and Repair Requests 121 CHAPTER 15 Removing Bad Apples 125 The Challenge 126 Barney Fife: “Nip It in the Bud” 126 CHAPTER 16 Mike’s Move-Out System Makes You Money 133 Do Not Balk at the Idea of a Referral Fee 139 SECTION IV MASTER THESE TO MAXIMIZE YOUR INCOME AND PROFITS CHAPTER 17 MARKETING Makes It Happen, Not Advertising 145 Referrals 145 Business Cards 146 Website 150 Other Things to Include in Your Website 155 Yard Signs 158 YOUR BIG PICTURE for Marketing 166 CHAPTER 18 PERSONAL SAFETY Is a MUST in Today’s World 169 Real-World Tragedies 169 PERSONAL SAFETY IS a MUST in Today’s World 170 LIFE IS TOO SHORT! 175 CHAPTER 19 Laws, Laws, and More Laws—Oh My! 177 Security Deposits 179 What’s the METHOD TO THIS MADNESS? 180 HATS We Wear 181 The Ultimate ICING on the Cake! 181 What Can You Do? 182 School of Hard Knocks 183 CHAPTER 20 Your New “Pain-in-the-Butt” Business Partner 187 HUD’s Section 8 Program: BEWARE! 190 CHAPTER 21 Insurance and Environmental Concerns: Rule 1: Always Make Your Resident(s) Buy Renter’s Insurance BEFORE You Give Them Keys! 195 CHAPTER 22 Biggest Mistakes of Investors 205 CHAPTER 23 The Hidden TAX BENEFITS: Especially If You’ve Got a Job 211 Here Comes My TSUNAMI! (A Good Thing) 211 So How Does DEPRECIATION Affect Me as an Investor? 213 What’s the Catch with This Depreciation? 214 EARNED INCOME versus PASSIVE INCOME 218 In Summary, The Big Picture, The Simple “Cut to the Chase” 219 CHAPTER 24 What’s Best: Houses, Duplexes, Trailers, Apartments, Commercial, or Dirt? 221 Single-Family Houses 221 Duplexes and Houses Chopped into Units 224 MultiFamily—Apartments 225 Mobile Home Parks 230 Commercial Property 232 Dirt 233 Self-Storage 234 Marinas, RV Parks, and More 234 Winner 235 APPENDIX A Recommended Resources for Your Business 237 APPENDIX B FORMS and More FORMS 245 INDEX 249

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction xi Chapter 1 A Shift in Mind-Set 1 Salespeople or Sales Professionals 1 Choosing Your Focus 4 Sales Is a Philosophy 12 Is It Worth It? 16 The Value of a Customer 18 Make It Work on Paper 19 The Two Most Important Questions 21 Chapter 2 The Quest for Confidence 23 Have You Done Your Homework? 26 Making Your Own Luck 28 Tools of the Trade 29 Keeping Your Head in the Game 31 Know Your Enemy 33 Levels of Success: Thinking BIG 34 Chapter 3 Opportunity Is Everywhere 39 What Face Are You Wearing? 40 Networking for Success 42 What’s in a Name? 45 Making Yourself More Memorable 46 Become the Expert 47 Better Than a Brochure 48 Let’s Get Social 49 Social Proof 53 Giving Testimonials 56 Chapter 4 Defining Your Sales Process 57 Pick Up the Phone 58 A Guaranteed Success Formula 62 Show That You Care 65 Choose Your Allies 67 Some Simple Tips 70 Chapter 5 Making the Moments Count 73 Who Holds the Controls? 73 Easy First Yes 77 What Selling Really Is? 78 Prod the Bruise 79 Make It Easy to Buy 81 Put a Bow on It 82 Choose Your Words 85 Your Sales Presentation 92 Closing the Sale 98 Buying Triggers 103 Chapter 6 Maximizing Opportunities 105 Stop Overselling 107 Pricing 108 Your Downsell 109 The Simple Upsell 110 Creating Offers 112 Should You Give Discounts? 116 A Secret Ingredient to Success 117 The Four Rs 118 Chapter 7 Overcoming Indecision 121 Avoiding Objections 122 Tackling Objections 124 Negotiate Like a Pro 126 Persistence 128 Playing Devil’s Advocate 129 Chapter 8 Protecting Your Investment 131 The Database 132 The Drop-In 133 The Phone Call 134 The Newsletter 134 The E-Newsletter 135 The Blog 135 The Facebook Presence 136 The Twitter Account 136 The LinkedIn Account 137 The Website 137 The Get-Together 138 The Letter 138 The E-Mail Offer 139 The Direct Mail Offer 140 The Gift 141 The Pat on the Back 142 Certificates and Awards 142 The Text Message 142 They All Tune In to the Same Station 143 It Is the Thought That Counts 143 About the Author 145 Acknowledgments 147

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Book SynopsisLearn about concepts, management, and commerce in The Business Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Business in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Business Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Business, with:- Up to 100 quotations from the great business thinkers and gurus- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe Business Book is the perfect introduction to key theories that have shaped the world of business, management, and commerce, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you''ll discover every facet of business management, including alternative business models, with real-life examples from the marketplace. If you''ve ever wondered about the stages of business strategy, from start-up to delivering the goods, this is the perfect book for you.Your Business Questions, Simply ExplainedThis book introduces the would-be entrepreneur and general reader alike to the work of great commercial thinkers, leaders, and gurus. Learn about the hurdles facing every new business, such as finding a gap in the market, securing finance, employing people, and creating an eye-catching brand. If you thought it was difficult to learn about the world of commerce, The Business Book presents key information in a clear layout. Learn the ideas of seminal business thinkers, such as Malcolm Gladwell''s tipping point, Michael Porter''s five forces, and Meredith Belbin''s theories on effective teamwork, with superb mind maps and step-by-step summaries. The Big Ideas SeriesWith millions of copies sold worldwide, The Business Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Foreign Affairs' Picks for Best of Books 2018""One of Marketwatch's Nonfiction Best of 2018 Books""A book about central banking that begins with Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, America’s election of Donald Trump as president and Continental Europe’s rising populism is starting in the right place. That alone gives Paul Tucker’s Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State a claim as one of the more perceptive books on his subject in recent years."---Joseph C. Sternberg, Wall Street Journal"Tucker is refreshingly honest about the problem: across a range of different countries, central bankers have become 'overmighty citizens'. The contract between them and the people they are supposed to serve needs to be rewritten."---Ed Conway, The Times"A comprehensive and thoughtful guide to the limits of . . . unelected power."---Peter Thal Larsen, Reuters Breakingviews"Tucker is refreshingly upfront about central bankers’ acquisition of power."---Desmond King, Financial Times"Candidates to succeed [Governor Carney] . . . should work their way through Unelected Power. They will then have some thinking to do."---Christopher Fildes, Standpoint"[Unelected Power] is of fundamental importance to anyone interested in the future of liberal democracy."---Felix Martin, New Statesman"[As] Paul Tucker . . . discusses in [his] masterful recent book . . . the argument for democratic delegation is a subtle one."---Dani Rodrik, Project Syndicate"Paul Tucker . . . [has] published a massive, thoughtful account . . . [which] sets out some bold [principles] for first order agencies, like the Bank of England."---Anthony Barnett, openDemocracy"Unelected Power brings Tucker’s experience and intellect to bear on a controversial issue that has hitherto been underexplored."---Martin Vander Weyer, Literary Review"In this important books, Paul Tucker, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, analyses where and how to delegate . . . responsibilities, and where and when such delegation risks undermining democratic legitimacy itself."---Martin Wolf, Financial Times"[Tucker] has produced this long and meaty book, which is all the better for not focusing simply – as too many central bankers do – on central banks. . . . Unelected Power is likely to be a standard reference work for those thinking about the design of central banks for decades to come. Many legislators could no doubt benefit from it too."---Michael Reddell, Central Banking Journal"Tucker has advanced public understanding by explaining why legitimacy is essential for central banks and elucidating the problems of achieving it. Unelected Power is a serious and important piece of work, which students of central banking cannot ignore."---William Allen, Financial World"A terrific book."---Anil Padmanabhan, liveMint"Profoundly important. . . . [Tucker’s] practical experience with the tensions he addresses, combined with his distance from conventional academic disciplines, makes his writing both more accessible and more convincing than much of what is produced by administrative-law specialists and political scientists. . . . In the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, policymakers continue to reassess the ways in which government and the financial sector interact. Democratic institutions are facing a reappraisal in light of the widespread populism of the past few years. Tucker’s arguments ought to be carefully considered. Of the many books written by those involved in responding to the financial crisis, his may deserve the longest shelf life."---Lawrence Summers, Washington Post"Tucker’s synthesis of economics, law, political science, and political philosophy is prodigious, and his experience on the front lines of fighting the global financial crisis is imposing. And yet, what is most distinctive about the book is its humility. Tucker’s worry that he and his ilk have become 'overmighty citizens' is palpable, and he takes seriously the idea that bureaucrats must ultimately be servants rather than masters. . . . His attitude comes from a kind of modern sense of noblesse oblige, heavy on the obligation. Let us hope Tucker can inspire others who wield unelected power to feel and act on this sense as much as he does."---Philip A. Wallach, American Interest"Unelected Power is likely to be a standard reference work for those thinking about the design of central banks for decades to come. Many legislators could no doubt benefit from it too."---Michael Reddell, Central Banking Journal"There is much to admire in the ambition of Tucker’s argument, and in the clarity of his analysis." * Survival *"Unelected Power . . . runs the gamut from philosophy, to politics, to economics and back again. This is much more than a policymaker’s set of memoirs, this is a manual for righting some wrongs."---Mark Blyth, Rhodes Center Podcast"[It] shows how central banks have become a huge part of what [Tucker] calls the administrative state."---Daniel Ben-Ami, Spiked"This is an admirably written book, very enjoyable to read, to be strongly recommended to anyone interested in central banking and its place in our economic and political systems. The principles enunciated by the author are convincing and clear."---Ernst Baltensperger, Journal of Economics"Would Greta Thunberg enjoy Tucker’s book? Maybe not, but she might benefit from reading it . . . . Any solution will have to be driven by, and underpinned by, a political process. After reading Tucker’s book, Greta may realise that this, too, is good."---Benedict King, FiveBooks"[Unelected Power] is a welcome contribution to current debates on central bank independence. . . . [Tucker's] vision of central bank independence is likely to be invoked and contested in the years to come."---Jens van ‘t Klooster, Economics and Philosophy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2017 Deutscher Memorial Prize""Shortlisted for the 2018 C.B. Macpherson Prize, Canadian Political Science Association""Imaginative and refreshingly enjoyable."---David Harvey, Jacobin"Marx's Inferno is highly original and informative. . . . Roberts' insights open up a much broader and deeper reading of Marx. This is an excellent book." * Choice *"A lucid interpretation."---Christian Lotz, Contemporary Political Theory"Absorbing, wide-ranging, and original."---Nicholas Vrousalis, Capital & Class"The most substantial treatment of Marx’s political theory in recent years."---Daniel Luban, The Nation

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Co-Winner of the 2018 Allan Sharlin Memorial Award, Social Science History Association""Finalist for the 2017 Hayek Prize, The Manhattan Institute""Honorable Mention for the 2017 PROSE Award in European and World History, Association of American Publishers""One of MIT Technology Review’s Best Books of 2016""Fascinating.... [Mokyr] reminds us that the skirmishing of philosophers and their ideas, the preoccupation of popular historians, is in many ways a sideshow—that the revolution that gave Europe dominance was, above all, scientific, and that the scientific revolution was, above all, an artisanal revolution."---Adam Gopnik, New Yorker"A fine book. . . . One of our country's great economic historians has helped us better understand the greatest transformation in human welfare our planet has ever seen."---Richard Vedder, Wall Street Journal"Wide-ranging and erudite. . . . Mokyr offers a useful corrective to excessively deterministic and materialistic treatments of economic history, emphasizing ideas—the West, he argues, had a uniquely positive view about subjugating nature to human control—and individual agency in shaping broad socioeconomic shifts." * Publishers Weekly *"Ultimately, without the impetus of science, economic growth would have fizzled out after 1815. A Culture of Growth is certainly making me rethink."---Brad DeLong, Nature"A Culture of Growth is a brilliant book. You should buy it and even read it. It’s long, but consistently interesting, even witty."---Deirdre McCloskey, Prospect"In pointing to growth-boosting factors that go beyond either the state or the market, Mokyr's book is very welcome."---Victoria Bateman, Times Higher Education"Mokyr . . . dives into the mystery of how the world went from being poor to being so rich in just a few centuries. . . . Drawing on centuries of philosophy and scientific advancements, Mokyr argues that there's a reason the Industrial Revolution occurred in Europe and not, for example, in China, which had in previous centuries shown signs of more scientific advancement: Europe developed a unique culture of competitive scientific and intellectual advancement that was unprecedented and not at all predestined."---Ana Swanson, WashingtonPost.com's Wonkblog"The sheer elegance of Mr. Mokyr's theory . . . has much to commend it. And it is refreshing that an economist is taking seriously the idea that ideas and culture make a difference to economic growth." * The Economist *"Mokyr has written a book to read slowly and chew over thoroughly. . . . He is a wonderfully well-read lucid and continuously interesting guide to a vast literature and invariably thought provoking."---Alan Ryan, Literary Review"Someone needed to write a book like this, and there could have been no better author to do so than Mokyr."---Peer Vries, Foreign Affairs"Economic historian Joel Mokyr has written a capstone work on the dynamics of the industrial revolution."---Arnold Kling, Econlib"It is not often that a book leaves me gasping in admiration for the breadth and depth of an author's reading and knowledge, but this one did."---Ted Nield, Geoscientist Online"This book is the latest example of Mokyr's ability to explicate complex issues, illustrating his big-picture thesis with a myriad of fascinating details. He writes with clarity--enjoyable for the general reader as well as for the specialist in economic history. A Culture of Growth is a must-read for anyone interested in how Western society got where it is today and what this implies for the spread of technology in the global economy of the future." * Finance & Development *"A Culture of Growth is a book of immense importance for us Indians especially when we are getting comfortable, forever playing victim to the depredations of British imperialism instead of wholeheartedly focusing on beating the West at its game as the Chinese are doing. . . . Well worth tackling."---Uday Balakrishnan, Hindu Business Line"A Culture of Growth is an insightful quest into the economic history of the last five centuries. Mokyr’s historical laboratory is early modern Europe, when a small mass of highly skilled artisans, entrepreneurs, financiers and merchants laid the roots of what was to become the Industrial Revolution." * Progressive Post *"One has to admire the depth of knowledge and the subtlety of Mokyr’s argument. . . . For serious students of the Enlightenment itself, Mokyr’s magnum opus will be required reading for a long time to come."---Nicholas Crafts, History Today"A fresh historical treatment."---Darcy Allen, IPA Review"This is a tour d'horizon of an exciting new area of inquiry, which offers important insights into the future of our civilization and the evolution of an increasingly technical world. Mokyr's book is so rich and stimulating that no brief review can do it justice. So, dear reader, read the book!"---Wolfgang Kasper, Policy"The book represents recognition that culture has finally arrived as an important and legitimate concept in discussions of economic growth. In this endeavor, the book is an important landmark. . . . Students and scholars working in the field will benefit from the intelligent and rich discussion provided in A Culture of Growth."---Mark Koyama, Independent Review"What stands out from Mokyr’s approach is the highly contingent character of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. They happened because a lot ofdifferent things happened to fall into place; small deviations in the course of events could have given us an entirely different world of technological and economic power."---Diane Coyle, Financial Times"After reading this book, chances are that you won’t look at the economic, social, and political world in quite the same way as before."---Pierre Lemieux, Regulation"An important body of work. It contains ideas, propositions, historical facts, biographies of influential scholars, writersand scientists, and it is a confirmation of the author's expertise of a broad range of topics in the economics of culture and comparative economic history of an emerging Europe and China."---Dr Meltem Ince-Yenilmez, Rest Journal

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Book SynopsisTower of Basel is the first investigative history of the world's most secretive global financial institution. Based on extensive archival research in Switzerland, Britain, and the United States, and in-depth interviews with key decision-makers,including Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Sir Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England and former senior Bank for International Settlements managers and officials,Tower of Basel tells the inside story of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS): the central bankers' own bank.Created by the governors of the Bank of England and the Reichsbank in 1930, and protected by an international treaty, the BIS and its assets are legally beyond the reach of any government or jurisdiction. The bank is untouchable. Swiss authorities have no jurisdiction over the bank or its premises. The BIS has just 140 customers but made tax-free profits of 1.17 billion in 2011-2012.Since its creation, the bank has been at the heart of global events but has often gone unnoticed. Under Thomas McKittrick, the bank's American president from 1940-1946, the BIS was open for business throughout the Second World War. The BIS accepted looted Nazi gold, conducted foreign exchange deals for the Reichsbank, and was used by both the Allies and the Axis powers as a secret contact point to keep the channels of international finance open.After 1945 the BIS,still behind the scenes,for decades provided the necessary technical and administrative support for the trans-European currency project, from the first attempts to harmonize exchange rates in the late 1940s to the launch of the Euro in 2002. It now stands at the centre of efforts to build a new global financial and regulatory architecture, once again proving that it has the power to shape the financial rules of our world. Yet despite its pivotal role in the financial and political history of the last century and during the economic current crisis, the BIS has remained largely unknown,until now.Trade Review"[Lebor] does a creditable job in this well-researched account." -- New York Times Book Review "It's a story of financial intrigue, secrets and lies, rumor and truth. LeBor, a business journalist (he's also the author of several thrillers), knows how to make a true story about finance as thrilling as any spy novel. A highly entertaining and informative book about the most powerful bank you've probably never heard of." -- Booklist "Lebor exposes the wheeling, dealing, and often nefarious activities of global investment bankers...Lively... The historical and contemporary power of the secretive BIS will surprise and alarm readers." -- Publishers Weekly "An absorbing and thorough examination of one of the world's most important yet opaque institutions." -- Reuters "Adam LeBor has written an absolutely fascinating history of the BIS, perhaps the most enigmatic financial institution in the world. The story he unveils of the many skeletons in its closet and its astounding ability to remake itself periodically only add to its mystique." -- Liaquat Ahamed, author of Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World Edward Lucas, author of Deception: The Untold Story of East-West Espionage Today "Tower of Basel is essential reading. Meticulously researched and fluently written, it reveals a slice of the modern world's untold history--a gripping tale of covert networks, secret deals and unaccountable, powerful individuals whose decisions shape our lives." Liaquat Ahamed, author of Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World"Adam LeBor has written an absolutely fascinating history of the BIS, perhaps the most enigmatic financial institution in the world. The story he unveils of the many skeletons in its closet and its astounding ability to remake itself periodically only add to its mystique." Harold James, professor of history and international affairs, Princeton University, and author of Making the European Monetary Union "Compelling reading--a masterly depiction of the role of the BIS in the Nazi period and Second World War." Booklist "It's a story of financial intrigue, secrets and lies, rumor and truth. LeBor, a business journalist (he's also the author of several thrillers), knows how to make a true story about finance as thrilling as any spy novel. A highly entertaining and informative book about the most powerful bank you've probably never heard of." Reuters Breaking Views

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