Economist Books – serie

THE ONE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER Why are the best words short and old? Why are full stops a writer's best friend? How can we simplify, then exaggerate? And what exactly are dangling modifiers?We'd all like to write with style.But what does that mean, and what can we learn from The Economist, a publication well known for its clarity and flair?Welcome to Writing with Style, an elegant survey of the principles available for writing better prose. By adopting some tried and tested tools and techniques, you too can learn how to inform, persuade and entertain when you write.Whether you want to know your singulars from your subjunctives, how colons add drama or why the word "comprise" is contaminated, this is the style guide for you.

The world of finance can be a minefield for the unwary. Without training, very few managers are prepared for the challenges of dealing with management reports, budgets and capital proposals, and find themselves embarrassed by their lack of understanding.This classic book, now in its third edition, supplies a step-by-step guide to the whole territory: 'how to assemble a budget', 'how to read variances on a report', 'how to construct a proposal to invest in new equipment'. By examining the actual things that managers have to do, each chapter explores the range of principles that can be applied, illustrates practical techniques and provides general guidance. The book will help the reader understand financial jargon, financial statements, management accounts, performance measures, budgeting, costing, pricing, decision-making and investment appraisal. New material brings this edition up to date with chapters on crowdfunding and the influence of global uncertainty on the best-laid financial plans.

Business growth is a clear goal for ambitious entrepreneurs and leaders. It's often a short hand for business - and wider economic - success. But it's not without its pitfalls and challenges, and planning for, and managing, a growing business needs careful thought. Take, for example, the start-up facing for the first time the need to balance flexibility with more structure. Or a larger business tackling a range of divisions evolving at different speeds. Or an inspirational owner-founder confronting the need to step back and let others take the business forward. These are the kinds of challenges that Growing a Business tackles head-on. Drawing on a wide range of models and research, and using case studies from across the business world, it offers practical advice and guidance on a whole range of topics, including:- the different types and stages of growth;- predicting the problems presented by growth;- identifying growth triggers - and barriers;- the implications of growth: financially, culturally and for the people involved in the business.Growing a Business is required reading for owners and managers looking to understand and foster growth in their businesses.An Economist Book, published in association with the Economist.

CMI Management Book of the Year Award 2016With a Foreword by Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever. Frugal innovation is a way that companies can develop high-quality products and create more value with limited resources. In today's cost-constrained environment, companies in the developed economies are seeking new routes to long-term business success - while also appealing to cost-conscious and environmentally-aware consumers. With an estimated trillion-dollar global market for sustainable products, and with potentially huge cost savings to be gained, frugal innovation is revolutionising business and reshaping management thinking. This seminal book gives an overview of the principles, perspectives and techniques behind frugal innovation, connecting with key contemporary business concepts such as the sharing and circular economies and the maker movement. It offers a blueprint for leaders and managers in companies of all sizes and across all sectors on how to profit from doing business frugally.Based on the authors' six key principles of frugal innovation, and packed with targeted advice and recommendations for business functions such as R&D, operations, HR and sales, Frugal Innovation is a masterclass in the art of doing more with less.

Some questions you never think to ask. Others, you didn't know you didn't know. And some facts are so surprising they cry out for answers. What can a president actually do? Why do cities sink into the ground? Why is Australia seemingly invulnerable to recessions? Why do people in couples do more housework than singletons?The brilliant minds of the Economist collect these questions. Individually, they might seem bite-sized and inconsequential, but taken together they can reveal a whole new world.

The world can be an amazing place if you know the right questions to ask:How much does a ghost reduce a house's value? How are winemakers responding to climate change? How much should you tip your Uber driver? Should your dog fear Easter more than fireworks?The keen minds of The Economist love to look beyond everyday appearances to find out what really makes things tick. In this latest collection of The Economist Explains, they have gathered the weirdest and most counter-intuitive answers they've found in their endless quest to explain our bizarre world. Take a peek at some Unconventional Wisdom - and pass it on! The world only gets more amazing when discoveries are shared.

Our extraordinary world makes more (and sometimes less) sense when you wonder:What's driving the international turkey-meat boom?How does a cannonball determine a maritime boundary?Where can you wed your mobile phone?Why do septuagenarians have a better chance of summiting Mount Everest than ever?The ever-keen minds of The Economist Explains solve all these riddles and more in their latest encyclopaedic excursion around the globe. Baffle your friends and colleagues with unconventional headscratchers that shed surprising light on science, culture, world affairs and more. From the underground trade in hair to Hollywood's role in the creation of the snow globe, Truly Peculiar takes a walk on the weird side.

Survey after survey confirms how the success of businesses has become increasingly dependent on the ability and skills of their staff. And because talented workers 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 what really matters.Drawing on original research, including interviews with senior executives, recruitment specialists and headhunters, and people considered 'talented' within their organisations, this book outlines the way in which companies such as Ford, Goldman Sachs, Cisco, Diageo, Tesco, General Electric and HSBC are facing the challenge of recruiting and developing the talent they need.This book will also boost readers' own career prospects.