Absolute Essentials of Business and Economics – serie

As challenges to the era of globalisation emerge, international business grows in importance and complexity as a field of study. This shortform textbook introduces learners to the frameworks within which international business occurs and to the range of actions that companies might undertake in these environments.Owing to an emphasis on cross-border interactions, international business is a politicised field, and this book provides readers with the tools to deepen their understanding not only of the actions that companies might take but also of the economic, societal, cultural and political frameworks affecting how decisions are made.With a refreshing realism in its approach, this book will be perfect brief reading for students required to understand the obstacles that global business practitioners must overcome to succeed.

This short textbook provides a core understanding of the intersection between business and the natural environment. The sector’s rapid expansion means that many university programmes are focusing to a greater extent nowadays on the career opportunities generated by the ecological imperative – a curriculum increasingly referred to as "green business".Climate breakdown is a devastating issue facing contemporary society. With six out of the ten largest multinationals listed in the 2018 Fortune Global 500 being active in the energy sector, it is no surprise that more and more business schools are offering modules addressing the management of natural resources. The business world has made some progress incorporating green principles into their strategies and operations, but progress needs to accelerate in line with global agreements to prevent catastrophic ecological and environmental problems. Absolute Essentials of Green Business stands out because of its singular focus on a subset of this wider curricular area. By covering both the macro (framework) and micro (business strategy) aspects of the topic, the book’s structure is in line with the way modules of this nature are taught in universities today.Students of business and environmental studies will benefit from reading this concise textbook in order to develop their understanding of a fundamental element of the social science curriculum.

This short textbook consolidates all the key aspects of operations management into a concise and easily accessible reference tool.Comprising the management of creating goods and delivering services to customers, operations management plays an essential role in the success of any organization. This book discusses the main areas of operations management, such as the design of the operations system, including product, process and job design. It also covers the management of operations, including lean operations and supply chain management.Breaking the subject down into its key components, this book provides a core introduction for undergraduate students studying operations management as part of business and management degrees.

Behavioural ethics in business is an emerging field that has challenged some of the established wisdom about ethics and added some truly new insights into our understanding about decision-making and behaviour. Why do seemingly responsible employees and managers sometimes act in bad ways? This book explains how people behave in real situations and what action can be taken to nudge behaviour in a more ethical direction. This concise textbook is ideal for use in the classroom as core or additional reading on courses in business ethics and corporate social responsibility; organisational behaviour and psychology; and any module with ethics content (for example, accounting ethics and strategic management). Each chapter is presented as a story with details about the experimental designs and related research findings. The key features include learning outcomes, suggested class activities, mock assessment questions, and an annotated list of key readings and these provide a one-stop text for tutors and students interested in this increasingly important area of study.

Entrepreneurship is a fundamental business discipline and a phenomenon that drives economic growth globally. This short-form textbook focuses on the absolute essential elements of the field, covering theory and practice.Illuminating the development of entrepreneurship, the author also concisely introduces the entrepreneurial personality and some of the additional hurdles faced by female and minority entrepreneurs. The central role of creativity, innovation and culture are also examined as well as entrepreneurial strategies for finance and marketing.This short text provides a unique expert overview for students of entrepreneurship, whilst the practical insights will also be useful in applications for budding entrepreneurs.

This shortform textbook, a concise overview of the development and current state of corporate governance, provides a critical narrative on the field.Beginning with insightful historical background, the author shows how value-adding corporate governance involves more than unthinking compliance to a recitation of statutes, regulations and principles, devoid of context. Features include basic definitions, reviews of theoretical governance problems, and a worldwide review of current governance provisions along with more detail on the UK situation. Revealing the geology of governance in the business world, the book highlights its progress set into a framework of regulation and law.This textbook provides a brief, authoritative summary of the field for two core audiences: as a reference for specialist readers, and as an concise introduction for non-specialist readers.

Contemporary organisations proliferate with projects. Managing projects, working with project managers and delivering project excellence have become fundamental skills in the world of business, resulting in an array of approaches, tools and techniques that can bewilder. This shortform text homes in on the absolute essential elements of the field. With practical insights throughout, the book provides readers with a concise understanding of key concepts, techniques and outcomes such as ownership, execution, success, quality, budgets and risks. Features include essential summaries and expert guides to further reading. Authored by an experienced project and change management practitioner, consultant and educator, this unique resource will be essential reading for students of project management looking to excel in employment.

This shortform textbook explores practical applications of how business ethics impacts working lives, allowing readers to reflect on their own moral compass through the use of ethical dilemmas.Highlighting the extensive breadth of issues related to business ethics, the authors introduce and analyze ethical and unethical behaviors of firms through numerous real -life examples including Patagonia, Costco, LVMH, Bill Gates, Muhummad Yunus, Enron, WorldCom, Samsung, Purdue Pharma, Vale Mining and the COVID-19 crisis.Regardless of career path or occupation, Absolute Essentials of Business Ethics is a valuable resource to understand why people make decisions based on their own ethical values and beliefs. Useful at both undergraduate and graduate levels, this unique textbook will serve students of business ethics around the world.

Strategic marketing is a complex topic, and this short-form textbook illuminates its fundamental elements to provide a bird’s-eye view of the field for students of marketing strategy.Focused on the marketing of goods and services, the book highlights how incremental changes in the market environment drive changes to marketing strategies. The author, an experienced marketing expert, uses the concept of ‘strategic windows’ to facilitate student understanding, looking at how firms can best anticipate and react to opportunities and threats.Enhanced by text features such as essential summaries, focused references and additional online supplements, this very short introduction enables the reader to zero in on the core priorities for strategic marketers. The result is a volume that is valuable reading for marketing students around the world.

Entrepreneurship is a fundamental business discipline and a phenomenon that drives economic growth globally. This shortform textbook focuses on the absolute essential elements of the field, covering theory and practice.Illuminating the development of entrepreneurship, the author also concise introduces the entrepreneurial personality and some of the additional hurdles faced by female and minority entrepreneurs. The central role of creativity, innovation and culture are also examined as well as entrepreneurial strategies for finance and marketing.This short text provides a unique expert overview for students of entrepreneurship, whilst the practical insights will also be useful in applications for budding entrepreneurs

Strategic marketing is a complex topic, and this short-form textbook illuminates its fundamental elements to provide a bird’s-eye view of the field for students of marketing strategy.Focused on the marketing of goods and services, the book highlights how incremental changes in the market environment drive changes to marketing strategies. The author, an experienced marketing expert, uses the concept of ‘strategic windows’ to facilitate student understanding, looking at how firms can best anticipate and react to opportunities and threats.Enhanced by text features such as essential summaries, focused references and additional online supplements, this very short introduction enables the reader to zero in on the core priorities for strategic marketers. The result is a volume that is valuable reading for marketing students around the world.

Contemporary organisations proliferate with projects. Managing projects, working with project managers and delivering project excellence have become fundamental skills in the world of business, resulting in an array of approaches, tools and techniques that can bewilder. This shortform text homes in on the absolute essential elements of the field. With practical insights throughout, the book provides readers with a concise understanding of key concepts, techniques and outcomes such as ownership, execution, success, quality, budgets and risks. Features include essential summaries and expert guides to further reading. Authored by an experienced project and change management practitioner, consultant and educator, this unique resource will be essential reading for students of project management looking to excel in employment.

This shortform textbook, a concise overview of the development and current state of corporate governance, provides a critical narrative on the field.Beginning with insightful historical background, the author shows how value-adding corporate governance involves more than unthinking compliance to a recitation of statutes, regulations and principles, devoid of context. Features include basic definitions, reviews of theoretical governance problems, and a worldwide review of current governance provisions along with more detail on the UK situation. Revealing the geology of governance in the business world, the book highlights its progress set into a framework of regulation and law.This textbook provides a brief, authoritative summary of the field for two core audiences: as a reference for specialist readers, and as an concise introduction for non-specialist readers.

Behavioural ethics in business is an emerging field that has challenged some of the established wisdom about ethics and added some truly new insights into our understanding about decision-making and behaviour. Why do seemingly responsible employees and managers sometimes act in bad ways? This book explains how people behave in real situations and what action can be taken to nudge behaviour in a more ethical direction. This concise textbook is ideal for use in the classroom as core or additional reading on courses in business ethics and corporate social responsibility; organisational behaviour and psychology; and any module with ethics content (for example, accounting ethics and strategic management). Each chapter is presented as a story with details about the experimental designs and related research findings. The key features include learning outcomes, suggested class activities, mock assessment questions, and an annotated list of key readings and these provide a one-stop text for tutors and students interested in this increasingly important area of study.

As challenges to the era of globalisation emerge, international business grows in importance and complexity as a field of study. This shortform textbook introduces learners to the frameworks within which international business occurs and to the range of actions that companies might undertake in these environments.Owing to an emphasis on cross-border interactions, international business is a politicised field, and this book provides readers with the tools to deepen their understanding not only of the actions that companies might take but also of the economic, societal, cultural and political frameworks affecting how decisions are made.With a refreshing realism in its approach, this book will be perfect brief reading for students required to understand the obstacles that global business practitioners must overcome to succeed.

This short form textbook provides readers with a comprehensive yet concise overview of the fundamentals of Digital Marketing.The author, a well-renowned teacher and writer on the subject, presents a concise and clear structure that works step by step through each of the core aspects of the subject, including SEO, metrics and analytics, web development, e-commerce, social media and digital marketing strategy.Presented in nine chapters to suit delivery periods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this book can be used either as a core text that gives tutors a sound platform on which to structure a module on digital marketing or as supporting text where digital marketing is an element of a module with a broader scope, such as strategic marketing.Pedagogical features include an essential summary paragraph at the start of each chapter, focused references and further reading. There is also online teaching and learning support for both in-class and digital delivery, including suggested case studies, chapter questions and other activities.

This shortform textbook explores practical applications of how business ethics impacts working lives, allowing readers to reflect on their own moral compass through the use of ethical dilemmas.Highlighting the extensive breadth of issues related to business ethics, the authors introduce and analyze ethical and unethical behaviors of firms through numerous real -life examples including Patagonia, Costco, LVMH, Bill Gates, Muhummad Yunus, Enron, WorldCom, Samsung, Purdue Pharma, Vale Mining and the COVID-19 crisis.Regardless of career path or occupation, Absolute Essentials of Business Ethics is a valuable resource to understand why people make decisions based on their own ethical values and beliefs. Useful at both undergraduate and graduate levels, this unique textbook will serve students of business ethics around the world.

This concise textbook provides a comprehensive and clear overview of the theory and practice of creative problem solving from a management perspective.The book works step by step through the creative thinking process. Beginning with theoretical frameworks, it considers ways of thinking, defining problems and structuring responses to them, techniques for generating ideas, evaluating and defining them, and finally how technology can be used within the creative problem-solving process. Pedagogical features to aid learning include objectives at the start of each chapter, further reading suggestions and practical examples.Divided into ten short chapters to suit content delivery, this textbook is designed as either core or recommended reading for advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA and Executive Education students studying Creativity and Innovation, Management and Leadership and Management Skills.

This concise textbook provides a comprehensive and clear overview of the theory and practice of creative problem solving from a management perspective.The book works step by step through the creative thinking process. Beginning with theoretical frameworks, it considers ways of thinking, defining problems and structuring responses to them, techniques for generating ideas, evaluating and defining them, and finally how technology can be used within the creative problem-solving process. Pedagogical features to aid learning include objectives at the start of each chapter, further reading suggestions and practical examples.Divided into ten short chapters to suit content delivery, this textbook is designed as either core or recommended reading for advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA and Executive Education students studying Creativity and Innovation, Management and Leadership and Management Skills.

Absolute Essentials of Public Relations offers a valuable quick-start introduction to the many facets and forms of public relations theory and practice. It explores contemporary public relations through multiple lenses by focusing on what public relations essentially comprises, how it has come into existence, what contexts public relations works within, what tools and techniques professionals can deploy, and how professionals assess and justify the outcomes of their work.Divided into two parts – Concepts and Theories, and Applications and Specialisms – the book covers the fundamental theories and concepts and their application in contemporary practice, which together broadly reflect the typical syllabus content for undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience introductory courses in public relations. The topics covered in both sections are complemented by mini cases, which showcase academic and professional insights into practice.Offering a concise and approachable alternative to the mainstream, more heavyweight textbooks available, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to public relations theory and practice.

Absolute Essentials of Public Relations offers a valuable quick-start introduction to the many facets and forms of public relations theory and practice. It explores contemporary public relations through multiple lenses by focusing on what public relations essentially comprises, how it has come into existence, what contexts public relations works within, what tools and techniques professionals can deploy, and how professionals assess and justify the outcomes of their work.Divided into two parts – Concepts and Theories, and Applications and Specialisms – the book covers the fundamental theories and concepts and their application in contemporary practice, which together broadly reflect the typical syllabus content for undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience introductory courses in public relations. The topics covered in both sections are complemented by mini cases, which showcase academic and professional insights into practice.Offering a concise and approachable alternative to the mainstream, more heavyweight textbooks available, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to public relations theory and practice.

This shortform textbook provides a concise overview of the fundamentals of environmental economics. It focuses on how economic forces affect the natural environment and how economic policies and behaviors may be altered to improve environmental quality.Spanning ten chapters, the book introduces readers to the key ideas in environmental economics. Topics include environmental externalities, technological change, cost-benefit analysis, pollution charges, emissions and offset trading, climate change, and public policy.Written by an established educator and scholar, Absolute Essentials of Environmental Economics will be valuable reading for students of environmental economics, environmental policy, environmental management and related areas. People affiliated with environmental interest groups, "think tanks," and advocacy groups will also find it beneficial.

This book is a concise yet definitive introduction to human resource management and development that will serve as a handy reference text for the subject.Written in an accessible style that brings the topic to life, this book will help students understand the key principles behind human resource management and development. After setting the context of human resource development, this book’s structure follows the HR lifecycle: starting with attracting new employees, through developing and managing those employees, and on to managing the employer/employee relationship. This gives this book a logical flow that enables readers to internalise these core concepts with confidence. Each chapter begins with a helpful chapter summary and references that students can use as a springboard for further reading. Discussion questions also supplement each chapter, making the book a useful aide in the classroom for instructors.Ideal for undergraduate students studying human resource management and development, this book may also be used for postgraduate students without a background in business and management who need a quick, efficient but authoritative overview.

This short textbook provides students with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of marketing research.Mapped closely to the structure of a typical Marketing Research module, the book takes the student through the full process, from developing the hypothesis and setting the research question, to developing and conducting the research, and finally to analysing the data and making recommendations. Each chapter starts with an essential summary and ends with discussion questions that can be used as a teaching resource. Worksheets are also provided as a supplementary resource, which can be used to build a marketing research plan.Focused on the core aspects of the subject, this is a perfect complement to the larger texts available, suitable for any undergraduate or postgraduate Marketing Research module.

This short textbook provides students with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of marketing research.Mapped closely to the structure of a typical Marketing Research module, the book takes the student through the full process, from developing the hypothesis and setting the research question, to developing and conducting the research, and finally to analysing the data and making recommendations. Each chapter starts with an essential summary and ends with discussion questions that can be used as a teaching resource. Worksheets are also provided as a supplementary resource, which can be used to build a marketing research plan.Focused on the core aspects of the subject, this is a perfect complement to the larger texts available, suitable for any undergraduate or postgraduate Marketing Research module.

This short form textbook provides readers with a comprehensive yet concise overview of the fundamentals of Digital Marketing.The author, a well-renowned teacher and writer on the subject, presents a concise and clear structure that works step by step through each of the core aspects of the subject, including SEO, metrics and analytics, web development, e-commerce, social media and digital marketing strategy.Presented in nine chapters to suit delivery periods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this book can be used either as a core text that gives tutors a sound platform on which to structure a module on digital marketing or as supporting text where digital marketing is an element of a module with a broader scope, such as strategic marketing.Pedagogical features include an essential summary paragraph at the start of each chapter, focused references and further reading. There is also online teaching and learning support for both in-class and digital delivery, including suggested case studies, chapter questions and other activities.

This concise textbook provides a comprehensive and clear overview of advertising theory and practice. Each chapter covers the essential aspects of the subject matter, provides a supplement for teaching and acts as a valuable revision guide. Split over three core parts, the book begins with a consideration of the role and function of advertising, the customer journey, advertising theory, planning and strategy, and moves on to the creative development process, media planning and strategy. The final chapter considers the industry as a whole and the reality of practice, outlining roles within agencies to highlight employability opportunities to students. To aid learning, each chapter contains brief real-life examples and includes questions to encourage the reader to consider how practical examples can be applied. Written by a renowned textbook author, this short-form textbook is suitable for students at all levels studying advertising. For undergraduates, the book provides a valuable support for traditional or blended online teaching. For postgraduate and MBA students, as well as those studying for professional qualifications, the book also provides a valuable resource.

This concise textbook provides a comprehensive and clear overview of advertising theory and practice. Each chapter covers the essential aspects of the subject matter, provides a supplement for teaching and acts as a valuable revision guide. Split over three core parts, the book begins with a consideration of the role and function of advertising, the customer journey, advertising theory, planning and strategy, and moves on to the creative development process, media planning and strategy. The final chapter considers the industry as a whole and the reality of practice, outlining roles within agencies to highlight employability opportunities to students. To aid learning, each chapter contains brief real-life examples and includes questions to encourage the reader to consider how practical examples can be applied. Written by a renowned textbook author, this short-form textbook is suitable for students at all levels studying advertising. For undergraduates, the book provides a valuable support for traditional or blended online teaching. For postgraduate and MBA students, as well as those studying for professional qualifications, the book also provides a valuable resource.

This shortform textbook provides a concise overview of the fundamentals of environmental economics. It focuses on how economic forces affect the natural environment and how economic policies and behaviors may be altered to improve environmental quality.Spanning ten chapters, the book introduces readers to the key ideas in environmental economics. Topics include environmental externalities, technological change, cost-benefit analysis, pollution charges, emissions and offset trading, climate change, and public policy.Written by an established educator and scholar, Absolute Essentials of Environmental Economics will be valuable reading for students of environmental economics, environmental policy, environmental management and related areas. People affiliated with environmental interest groups, "think tanks," and advocacy groups will also find it beneficial.