For most of the last three millennia, the world’s commercialcenters have used one or another variant of a gold standard. Itshould be one of the best understood of human institutions, butit’s not. It’s one of the worst understood, by both its advocatesand detractors. Though it has been spurned by governments manytimes, this has never been due to a fault of gold to serve itsduty, but because governments had other plans for their currenciesbeyond maintaining their stability. And so, says Nathan Lewis,there is no reason to believe that the great monetary successes ofthe past four centuries, and indeed the past four millennia, couldnot be recreated in the next four centuries. In Gold, he makes aforceful, well–documented case for a worldwide return to the goldstandard. Governments and central bankers around the world todayunanimously agree on the desirability of stable money, ever more soafter some monetary disaster has reduced yet another economy tosmoking ruins. Lewis shows how gold provides

Freakonomics revealed much about our society. Now, one ofAmerica’s most respected economists reveals how individuals canturn economic reasoning to their advantage in their daily life—athome, at work, even on vacation. Tyler Cowen explains howunderstanding the incentives that work best with each individual isthe key to successful and satisfactory daily interactions—fromgetting the kids to do the dishes to having a productive businessmeeting, attracting a mate to finding a good guide in a foreigncountry. Discovering your inner economist, Cowen suggests, can leadto a happier, more satisfying life. What better carrot could youask for?

Malcolm Gladwell is the master of playful yet profound insight. His ability to see underneath the surface of the seemingly mundane taps into a fundamental human impulse: curiosity. From criminology to ketchup, job interviews to dog training, Malcolm Gladwell takes everyday subjects and shows us surprising new ways of looking at them, and the world around us.Are smart people overrated? What can pit bulls teach us about crime? Why are problems like homelessness easier to solve than to manage? How do we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job? Gladwell explores the minor geniuses, the underdogs and the overlooked, and reveals how everyone and rything contains an intriguing story. What the Dog Saw is Gladwell at his very best - asking questions and seeking answers in his inimitable style.

From the publishers of Architectural Graphic Standards, thisbook, created under the auspices of The American PlanningAssociation, is the most comprehensive reference book on urbanplanning, design, and development available today. Contributionsfrom more than two hundred renowned professionals provide rules ofthumb and best practices for mitigating such environmental impactsas noise, traffic, aesthetics, preservation of green space andwildlife, water quality, and more. You get in-depth information onthe tools and techniques used to achieve planning and designoutcomes, including economic analysis, mapping, visualization,legal foundations, and real estate developments. Thousands ofillustrations, examples of custom work by today?s leading planners,and insider information make this work the new standard in thefield. Order your copy today.

Cut costs, reduce waste, and stay competitive with Lean SixSigma These days, enterprises need to reduce operating costs as quicklyas possible without compromising quality and customer servicelevels. In the last ten years, business leaders have recognizedLean Six Sigma as one of the most valuable methodologies forrealizing this goal. The Lean Six Sigma Guide to Doing More With Less is your completeguide for taking advantage of Lean Six Sigma and related approachesto improve bottom line performance and enable competitiveadvantage. With focus and precision, this essential resource honesin on how to reduce overall costs by eliminating waste andproviding competitive advantage through enterprise speed. - In today's recessionary environment Lean Six Sigma is apowerful and practical method to enable rapid and sustainable costreduction through process improvement, enterprise speed andagility. - Through the discussion of critical tools, case studies andimplementation tips the guide provid

Written during the winter of 1857-8, the "Grundrisse" wasconsidered by Marx to be the first scientific elaboration ofcommunist theory. A collection of seven notebooks on capital andmoney, it both develops the arguments outlined in the CommunistManifesto (1848) and explores the themes and theses that were todominate his great later work "Capital". Here, for the first time,Marx set out his own version of Hegel's dialectics and developedhis mature views on labour, surplus value and profit, offering manyfresh insights into alienation, automation and the dangers ofcapitalist society. Yet while the theories in "Grundrisse" make ita vital precursor to "Capital", it also provides invaluablede*ions of Marx's wider-ranging philosophy, making it a uniqueinsight into his beliefs and hopes for the foundation of acommunist state.

Use eye-popping visual tools to energize your people! Just as social networking has reclaimed the Internet for humaninteractivity and co-creation, the visual meetings movement isreclaiming creativity, productivity, and playful exchange forserious work in groups. Visual Meetings explains how anyone can implementpowerful visual tools, and how these tools are being used inSilicon Valley and elsewhere to facilitate both face-to-face andvirtual group work. This dynamic and richly illustrated resourcegives meeting leaders, presenters, and consultants a slew ofexciting tricks and tools, including Graphic recording, visual planning, story boarding, graphictemplates, idea mapping, etc. Creative ways to energize team building, sales presentations,staff meetings, strategy sessions, brainstorming, and more Getting beyond paper and whiteboards to engage new mediaplatforms Understanding emerging visual language for leading groups Unlocking formerly untapped creative resources for businesssuccess, Visual Mee

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes's acclaimed, best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty? The answer, as Landes definitively illustrates, is a complex interplay of cultural mores and historical circumstance. Rich with anecdotal evidence, piercing analysis, and a truly astonishing range of erudition, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is a "picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight" (Kenneth Arrow) as well as one of the most audaciously ambitious works of history in decades.

Essential resources for training and HR professionals KennethH. Silber and Lynn Kearny Organizational Intelligence A Guide toUnderstanding the business of your organization for HR, Training,and Performance Consulting Organizational Intelligence To succeed,those who practice as training, HPT, ID, OD, HR, or ITprofessionals must understand the "language of business," and thekey business issues and measures of the organizations we work for.Organizational Intelligence shows how to use the proven BusinessLogics Model to gather and synthesize the information needed tounderstand organizations, and how to align our work to key businessissues, explain it in appropriate language, and measure it in ameaningful way. "Kearny and Silber have taken the complexinterrelated aspects of a business and broken them into componentsand key questions that can help anyone understand the essence ofthat business." —Julie O'Mara, past president, American Society forTraining and Development "This book should be in your professio

A proven guide to building financial models from scratch The"Second Edition "of "Building Financial Models with Microsoft Excel+ CD-ROM" provides beginning and intermediate level computer userswith step-by-step instructions on building financial models usingMicrosoft Excel 2007-the most popular spreadsheet programavailable. The accompanying CD-ROM contains Excel worksheets thattrack the course of the book and allow you to build your ownfinancial models. This comprehensive resource also covers importanttopics such as the concepts of valuation, sensitivity analysis, andcontribution margin. Offers accessible guidance on buildingfinancial models using Excel 2007 Illustrates how to integratefinancial statements such as the balance sheet, income statement,and statement of cash flows Covers the basics of building and usinga Capitalization Table Discusses how to best present a financialmodel Incorporating financial models into business decisions hasbecome an essential element of good business practice, and thisbook

The classic introduction to economic thought, now updated intime for the publication of New Ideas from Dead CEOs This entertaining and accessible introduction to the greateconomic thinkers throughout history— Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill,Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and more—shows how their ideasstill apply to our modern world. In this revised edition, renownedeconomist Todd Buchholz offers an insightful and informedperspective on key economic issues in the new millennium:increasing demand for energy, the rise of China, internationaltrade, aging populations, health care, and the effects of globalwarming. New Ideas from Dead Economists is a fascinating guide tounderstanding both the evolution of economic theory and our complexcontemporary economy.

For the Third Edition, 2001 Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz joins forces with new co-author Carl Walsh, who brings both economic expertise and teaching savvy to the project. Together, Stiglitz and Walsh thoroughly integrate contemporary economics into the traditional curriculum. Recognizing the limitations of the traditional AS/AD model, the authors offer an improved framework for the analysis of macroeconomic fluctuations. This approach emphasizes the role of the Fed and the federal funds market in the determination of short-term interest rates. The result is an analysis of fluctuations in inflation/output space and a model reflecting the real world of macroeconomics that students encounter in the business press and other media.

Praise for Valuation for Financial Reporting, Third Edition "Writing a book on financial reporting is a challenge in and ofitself, let alone to focus on the shifting sands of valuation infinancial reporting. Yet, Mard and company have done it again, andthis time, it is even more user-friendly, easy to read, andtopical. If you intend to wade into the swift currents of providingvaluation services for financial reporting, you must have Valuationfor Financial Reporting in your library or on your desk!" —Neil J.Beaton, CPA/ABV, CFA, ASA, National Partner in Charge of ValuationServices, Grant Thornton, LLP "I really like the flowcharts. The authors take the complexworld of fair value measurement for business combinations andconvert it to easily understandable and usable flowcharts,worksheets, and checklists." —Gordon Goodman, Trading ControlOfficer, Occidental Petroleum, and member of the FASB ValuationResource Group "The comments on efficient markets and faithful representationin the first chapter were v

In Common Wealth, Jeffrey D. Sachs—one of the world’s mostrespected economists and the author of The New York Timesbestseller The End of Poverty— offers an urgent assessment of theenvironmental degradation, rapid population growth, and extremepoverty that threaten global peace and prosperity. Throughcrystalline examination of hard facts, Sachs predicts the cascadeof crises that awaits this crowded planet—and presents a program ofsustainable development and international cooperation that willcorrect this dangerous course. Few luminaries anywhere on theplanet are as schooled in this daunting subject as Sachs, and thisis the vital product of his experience and wisdom.

The 2007–08 subprime financial crisis is the jumping-off pointfor Smick's (Johnson Smick International) examination of currentthreats to global prosperity. He explains that although thesubprime losses are small in the context of world financialmarkets, a lack of transparency has diminished investor confidence,dried up financial liquidity, and threatened the very foundationsof our world financial system. He says that the growth of globalfinancial markets has made it more difficult for central banks likethe U.S. Federal Reserve to intercede effectively in times ofcrisis. Smick compares the subprime crisis to past events like theUK's forced devaluation of the pound in 1992 and Japan's economicstagnation in the 1990s. He warns of pending dangers like anoverheating of the Chinese development juggernaut and the presentcalls for protectionism by U.S. politicians. He favors a globalfinancial system built on transparency and trust. Smick's role forsome 30 years as an economic adviser to central bankers andleg

A practical guide to building fully operational financial cashflow models for structured finance transactions Structured finance and securitization deals are becoming morecommonplace on Wall Street. Up until now, however, marketparticipants have had to create their own models to analyze thesedeals, and new entrants have had to learn as they go. ModelingStructured Finance Cash Flows with Microsoft Excel provides readerswith the information they need to build a cash flow model forstructured finance and securitization deals. Financial professionalKeith Allman explains individual functions and formulas, while alsoexplaining the theory behind the spreadsheets. Each chapter beginswith a discussion of theory, followed by a section called "ModelBuilder," in which Allman translates the theory into functions andformulas. In addition, the companion CD-ROM features all of themodeling exercises, as well as a final version of the model that iscreated in the text. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materi

The first book devoted entirely to B2B social marketing B2B markets are fundamentally different from consumer markets.Decisions are made on value, not impulse. Buying cycles arecomplex, often with many stakeholders involved. Relationships andsupport are critical. Bet-the-business decisions demand discipline,knowledge, and lots of information. This hands-on guide covers topics unique to this segment,including cost justification, prospecting and lead generation,matching tools to the sales funnel, building, B2B search engineoptimization, social media monitoring, social media policydevelopment, long-term client relationships, gaining stakeholdersupport, building a more transparent organization, and what'scoming next. Features plentiful examples, case studies, and bestpractices Focuses on the channels that are most effective for B2Bmarketers Builds on the authors' more than 30 years of combined experiencein the new media/social media space, as well as two previoussuccessful books Lev

In Export Now, two superbly qualified authorsexplain the secrets to taking your company global. Offering areal-world strategy that any sized business can use to go global,this book serves as a trustworthy handbook for identifying,evaluating, and profiting from global business opportunities.

In early 2009, many economists, financiers, and media pundits were confidently predicting the end of the American-led capitalism that has shaped history and economics for the past 100 years. Yet the U.S. economic model, far from being discredited, may be strengthened by the financial crisis. In this provocative book, Anatole Kaletsky re-interprets the financial crisis as part of an evolutionary process inherent to the nature of democratic capitalism. Capitalism, he argues, is resilient. Its first form, Capitalism 1.0, was the classical laissez-faire capitalism that lasted from 1776 until 1930. Next was Capitalism 2.0, New Deal Keynesian social capitalism created in the 1930s and extinguished in the 1970s. Its last mutation, Reagan-Thatcher market fundamentalism, culminated in the financially-dominated globalization of the past decade and triggered the recession of 2009-10. The self-destruction of Capitalism 3.0 leaves the field open for the next phase of capitalism’s evolution. Capitalism is likely to

Even as white collar jobs are outsourced to Indian firms,those of us in the developed world persist in the view that ourdistinct advantage over the developing world our ability toinnovate will remain unchallenged. After all, where are the IndianiPhones, Googles, and Viagras? But according to the latest researchby India business experts Nirmalya Kumar and Phanish Puranam, thisview is wrongheaded. In fact, though much of it is invisible to theWestern consumer, there is already a great deal of innovation inIndia such as management and process innovation, and innovations inB2B and R D, for example. Even more dramatically, Kumar andPuranam study a new, more visible, consumer-oriented kind ofinnovation emerging in India of compact, low-cost, robust, andefficient products. New products such as Tata's Nano, Going Green'sG-Wiz car, and GE's ECG machine exemplify this unique kind ofIndian innovation which is marked by robustness (more insensitiveto a harsh environment), compactness (miniaturization and systemint