Economist Books – serie

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.

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.