Business & Economics

Economics isn’t just about numbers: it’s about politics, psychology, history, and so much more. We are all economists – when we work, save for the future, invest, pay taxes, and buy our groceries. Yet many of us feel lost when the subject arises. Award-winning professor Timothy Taylor tackles all the key questions and hot topics of both microeconomics and macroeconomics, including: * Why do budget deficits matter? * What exactly does the Federal Reserve do? * Does globalization take jobs away from American workers? * Why is health insurance so costly? The perfect read for fans of Freakonomics, The Undercover Economist and Naked Economics, The Instant Economist offers the knowledge and sophistication to understand the issues – so you can understand and discuss economics on a personal, national, and global level.

In every sector, there’s an outlier. In the phar­maceutical industry, it’s Merck. In discount retail, it’s Family Dollar. It used to be Wrig­ley in candy and Maytag in appliances. Other superstars have been hidden in plain sight, like Heartland Express in trucking or Linear Technology in semiconductors. How do these exceptional companies deliver superior perfor­mance over the long run despite facing the same constraints as competitors? What are they doing differently? What can we learn from them?

Michael E. Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed have analyzed data on more than 25,000 com­panies spanning forty-five years. Their five-year study began with a sophisticated statistical analysis to identify which companies have truly exceptional performance, 344 in all.

In collaboration with teams of researchers, Raynor and Ahmed then put a carefully chosen representative sample of twenty-seven com­panies under the microscope to uncover what made the stand-out performers different. They found that exceptional companies, when faced with difficult decisions, follow three rules:
– Better before cheaper. They rarely compete on price.
– Revenue before cost. They drive profits through price and volume, not thrift.
– There are no other rules. Everything else is up for grabs, and they are willing to change anything to remain true to the first two rules.

The rules provide an indispensable compass that any company can use to chart its own path to greatness. Is it better to keep price down or invest in creating value that commands a higher price? Should you focus on talent and develop­ing the abilities of your people or build processes to extend the capabilities of your organization? How about acquiring a sizable competitor to secure economies of scale—or a small start-up to gain access to new technology? According to Raynor and Ahmed, the right answers to these and just about every other question are the ones most closely aligned with the rules.

The Three Rules is built on a powerful combina­tion of large-scale data analysis and in-depth case studies. Its guidance will increase the chance that your organization can become truly exceptional.

You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and thrown in a blender. The blades start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?

If you want to work at Google, or any of America’s best companies, you need to have an answer to this and other puzzling questions. Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? guides readers through the surprising solutions to dozens of the most challenging interview questions. The book covers the importance of creative thinking, ways to get a leg up on the competition, what your Facebook page says about you, and much more.

In the world of personal finance the biggest challenge is the sense that there’s never going to be enough. It is this mindset of scarcity, and not the amount spent on lattes, that holds people back the most from achieving their financial dreams.

Using techniques she’s developed as a financial planner and spiritual coach, Leisa Peterson guides you to dig deeper and discover the root of your financial thinking to change not just the way you save and spend, but the way you live your life.

Through powerful practices, compelling stories and extensive research, The Mindful Millionaire meets you wherever you are in your money journey by exploring:

*Where your current money habits come from and why you feel the way you do about money and success.
*How to break the cycle of fear, grief, and shame that often surrounds your money habits.
*How to write a new money story that inspires joy, satisfaction and prosperity.
*Why wealth building isn’t just about positive thinking and “manifesting” things into reality.
*How to stop financial self-sabotage and procrastination.
*Where practical financial advice misses the mark.
*The most effective tools for changing how you think and feel about money.
*What true financial independence looks like and how to discover the millionaire within.