Business

Brief Summary Creativity in Business: Based on the Famed Stanford University Course That Has Revolutionized the Art of Success. This exploration of innovative thinking in companies of all kinds "shows us how creativity in business can enrich us, and those who work with us." -- Spencer Johnson, co-author, The One Minute Manager. ISBN:9780385248518 Author:Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers

Brief Summary Creative Capitalism: A Conversation with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Other Economic Leaders Bill Gates is more than the world's most successful capitalist; he's also the world's biggest philanthropist. Gates has approached philanthropy the same way he revolutionized computer software: with a fierce ambition to change the rules of the game. That's why at the 2008 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Gates advocated a creative capitalism in which big corporations, the distinguishing feature of the modern global economy, integrate doing good into their way of doing business. This controversial new idea is discussed and debated by the more than forty contributors to this book, among them three Nobel laureates and two former U.S. cabinet secretaries. Edited by author and columnist Michael Kinsley, Creative Capitalism started as a first-of-its-kind online conversation that brought together some of the world's best minds to engage Gates's challenge. From Warren Buffett, who seconds Gates's analysis, to Lawrence Summers, who worries about the consequences of multiple corporate objectives, the essays cover a broad spectrum of opinion. Judge Richard Posner dismisses Gates's proposal as trumped-up charity that will sap the strengths of the profit-maximizing corporation, while journalist Martin Wolf maintains that the maximization of profit is far from universally accepted, and rightly so. Chicago Nobel laureate Gary Becker wonders whether altruistic companies can survive in a competitive economy, while Columbia Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps argues that a little altruism might be the right prescription for a variety of market imperfections. Creative Capitalism is not just a book for philanthropists. It's a book that challenges the conventional wisdom about our economic system, a road map for the new global economy that is emerging as capitalism adapts itself once again to a changing world. ISBN:9781416599418 Author:Michael E. Kinsley and Conor Clarke

Brief Summary International relations is a vibrant field of significant growth and change. This book guides students through the complexities of the major theories of international relations and the debates that surround them, the core theoretical concepts, and the key contemporary issues. Introduced by an overview of the discipline's development and general structure, the more than 40 entries are broken down as follows: Part two introduces the key theories and each chapter includes: a broad overview; a discussion of methodologies; a review of empirical applications; and a guide to further reading and useful websites. Part three discusses the major concepts and for each concept provides: an introduction to the core questions; an overview of the definitions and theoretical perspectives; a review of empirical problems; and links to other entries, further reading and useful websites. Clear and highly readable, "Key Concepts in International Relations" is an essential guide for students on politics and international relations courses. ISBN:9781412928489 Author:Thomas Diez,? Ingvild Bode and Aleksandra Fernandes da Costa

Brief Summary Research Design: Creating Robust Approaches for the Social Sciences Research design is of critical importance in social research, despite its relative neglect in many methods resources. Early consideration of design in relation to research questions leads to the elimination or diminution of threats to eventual research claims, by encouraging internal validity and substantially reducing the number of alternative explanations for any finite number of research ′observations′. This new book: discusses the nature of design; gives an introduction to design notation; offers a flexible approach to new designs; looks at a range of standard design models; and presents craft tips for real-life problems and compromises. Most importantly, it provides the rationale for preferring one design over another within any given context. Each section is illustrated with case studies of real work and concludes with suggested readings and topics for discussion in seminars and workshops, making it an ideal textbook for postgraduate research methods courses. Based on the author′s teaching on the ESRC Doctoral Training Centre "Masters in Research Methods" at the University of Birmingham, and his ongoing work for the ESRC Researcher Development Initiative, this is an essential text for postgraduate researchers and academics. There is no book like Research Design on the market that addresses all of these issues in an easy to comprehend style, for those who want to design research and make critical judgments about the designs of others. ISBN:9781446249024 Author:Stephen Gorard

Brief Summary Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, out-managing, and out-marketing Your Competition More uncommon common sense from the bestselling author of The Art of the Start. In Silicon Valley slang, a "bozo explosion” is what causes a lean, mean, fighting machine of a company to slide into mediocrity. As Guy Kawasaki puts it, "If the two most popular words in your company are partner and strategic, and partner has become a verb, and strategic is used to describe decisions and activities that don’t make sense” . . . it’s time for a reality check. For nearly three decades, Kawasaki has earned a stellar reputation as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and irreverent pundit. His 2004 bestseller, The Art of the Start, has become the most acclaimed bible for small business. And his blog is consistently one of the fifty most popular in the world. Now, Kawasaki has compiled his best wit, wisdom, and contrarian opinions in handy book form. From competition to customer service, innovation to marketing, he shows readers how to ignore fads and foolishness while sticking to commonsense practices. He explains, for instance: • How to get a standing ovation • The art of schmoozing • How to create a community • The top ten lies of entrepreneurs • Everything you wanted to know about getting a job in Silicon Valley but didn’t know who to ask Provocative, useful, and very funny, this "no bull shiitake” book will show you why readers around the world love Guy Kawasaki. ISBN:9781591842231 Author:Guy Kawasaki

Brief Summary The sixth edition of Entrepreneurship and Small Firms has been fully revised and updated with contributions from leading academics in the field. Retaining the popular style of the previous editions and offering a clear and accessible introduction to the topic, this book provides a thorough coverage of entrepreneurial and small firm theory, concepts, evidence, policy and practice. Integrating academic theory with the day-to-day realities that entrepreneurs may encounter it furnishes the student with a comprehensive analysis of entrepreneurship. This well-established text is justly popular for its clear and accessible approach, presenting the key topics of an entrepreneurship module in an engaging yet rigorous style. The book covers wide ranging topics from the economic influences on entrepreneurship and sources of finance, to issues of diversity, family business and social entrepreneurship. New to this edition is a chapter on Corporate Entrepreneurship offering students a unique insight into entrepreneurship activities in larger businesses and organizations. A reorganized chapter structure for the sixth edition allows students to navigate the four parts of the text from introductory concepts, the domains of entrepreneurship, through to strategy and to implementation. New part cases help to highlight the core themes and apply them to real business scenarios. The new edition retains a wealth of examples and cases throughout the chapters which illustrate entrepreneurship in action. ISBN:9780077136451 Author:Professor David Deakins

Brief Summary NEW VENTURE CREATION, 6E, International Edition provides tomorrow’s entrepreneurs with the tools to launch a successful new business in a global marketplace. The text follows the logical development process, from initial idea through drafting of the actual business plan. The sixth edition represents the most current thoughts, ideas, and practices in the field of entrepreneurship. Allen focuses on the pre-startup and startup stages of a new business, with special emphasis on the process and activities that must take place prior to opening a new business. The student-friendly material includes real-world case studies, new venture action plans, and advice from successful entrepreneurs and the author herself. Part One introduces the foundations of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial opportunity that are important to understanding the decisions that entrepreneurs make, the environment in which they make those decisions, and the tasks they must undertake before launching a new company. Part Two addresses the heart of entrepreneurial activity--the testing of a new business concept through feasibility analysis. Part Three focuses on strategy and drafting the business plan. Part Four looks at planning for growth and change in the new organization. ISBN:9780538481977 Author:Kathleen R. Allen

Brief Summary The Economist: Managing Talent: Recruiting, Retaining and getting the most from talented people. Survey after survey confirms how the success of a business has become increasingly dependent on the ability and skills of its staff. And because talented people are in short supply the hunt for people of unusual ability will continue in earnest. Hiring such people is the relatively easy part; keeping them engaged so that they don't move on and getting the best out of them while they are with you is the greater challenge — one that more than ever requires a good understanding of what people want from both work and life outside work, as well as flexibility and imagination in seeking to accommodate their aspirations. Drawing on original research, including interviews with senior executives, recruitment specialists and people considered to be "talented” within their organizations, Managing Talent outlines how companies such as Google, Apple, Santander, Mars, Unilever, PepsiCo, Nokia, Olam International, Tata Chemicals and Bank of America are facing the challenge of recruiting and developing the talent they need. Full of useful insights and practical help for those who are responsible for the success of their organization, it also provides invaluable guidance to those in search of career satisfaction. " ISBN:9781846685897 Author:Michel Syrett Marion Devine