Innovation Killers (journal article)
by Clayton M. Christensen, Stephen P. Kaufman and Willy C. Shih
from Harvard Business Review, Vol. 86 No. 1, January 2008, pp. 98-105
"Most companies aren't half as innovative as their senior executives want them to be (or as their marketing claims suggest they are). What's stifling innovation? There are plenty of usual suspects, but the authors finger three financial tools as key accomplices. ... The authors recommend alternative methods that can help managers innovate with a much more astute eye for future value. "

Five competitive forces that shape strategy (journal article)
by Michael E. Porter
from Harvard Business Review Vol. 86 No. 1, January 2008, pp. 78 - 93
"In exploring the implications of the five forces framework, Porter explains why a fast-growing industry is not always a profitable one, how eliminating today's competitors through mergers and acquisitions can reduce an industry's profit potential, how government policies play a role by changing the relative strength of the forces, and how to use the forces to understand complements. He then shows how a company can influence the key forces in its industry to create a more favorable structure for itself or to expand the pie altogether. The five forces reveal why industry profitability is what it is. Only by understanding them can a company incorporate industry conditions into strategy. "

Mastering the management system (journal article)
by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton
from Harvard Business Review, Vol. 86 No. 1, January 2008, pp. 62 - 77
"Companies have always found it hard to balance pressing operational concerns with long-term strategic priorities. The tension is critical: World-class processes won't lead to success without the right strategic direction, and the best strategy in the world will get nowhere without strong operations to execute it."

OECD Economic Outlook No. 82, December 2007
OECD

"Analyses the major trends and examines the economic policies required to foster high and sustainable growth in member countries ... contains a special chapter entitled 'Corporate saving and investment: recent trends and prospects'."

The Foundation : a great American secret : how private wealth is changing the world
Fleishman, Joel L.

Examines America’s powerful charity organisations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Business tax reform : meet the critics : papers and material emerging from a conference of tax practitioners and academics organised by the Australian Tax Research Foundation held 28-29 September 2006
Australian Tax Research Foundation

"Assessed the tax reforms flowing from the Review of Business Taxation or "Ralph Report" and identified future pathways for reform and some practical fixes for legislation." - cover.

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Public investment and public-private partnerships
International Monetary Fund

"Explores the following questions: Should countries increase public investment in infrastructure? If the answer is yes, how can they do so in a fiscally responsible manner? Are public-private partnerships a viable alternative?" - publisher’s description.

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A Perfect mess : the hidden benefits of disorder : how crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place
Abrahamson, Eric & Freedman, David H.

Using examples from business, parenting, politics and retailing, the authors demonstrate that tight schedules, neatness and consistency do not necessarily guarantee success. In fact, they contend that "moderately messy systems use resources more efficiently, yield better solutions and are harder to break than neat ones." - cover.

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The 4-hour work week : escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich
Timothy Ferriss
Introduces the priorities and life philosophies of the "new rich" which include aiming to have many "mini-retirements" throughout life, and being a "owner" who outsources the work to others.

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The relative sophistication of Chinese exports (journal article)
by Peter K. Schott
from Economic Policy Vol. 23 No. 53, pp. 5–49
"China's exports have grown dramatically over the last three decades in large part due to its rapid penetration of new product markets. To help address the implications of this growth for developed economies, this paper gauges the relative sophistication of Chinese exports. It suggests that competition between China and the world's most developed economies may be less direct than their product-mix overlap implies. It may also reflect efforts by developed-country firms to compete with China by dropping their least sophisticated offerings and moving up the quality ladder."

Write on! - a model for successful business writing (journal article)
by Janet Basdell
from Training Journal, December 2007, pp. 30-32
"Business documents are written for a reason: to convey information, cause something to happen, influence a decision or win business. All too often, key messages are difficult to interpret because documents are badly structured and too wordy."
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Getting satisfaction - how to get useful management information from employee satisfaction surveys, while avaoiding the pitfalls (journal article)
by David Lusty
from Training Journal, October 2007, pp. 48-50
"Handled appropriately, and employee satisfaction survey is a source of valuable management information that can be used to drive initiatives for change that improve corporate performance, efficiency and customer satisfaction."

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Manage the minutes and let the hours look after themselves (journal article)
by Joanna Gutmann
from Training Journal, October 2007, pp. 39-42
"Most people know how to manage their workload, but it's one thing to know how to and another to actually do it."

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Leadership in the Australian context : case studies in leadership
Dalglish, Carol & Evans, Peter

"Offers in-depth case studies of Australian leaders drawn from across business, politics, the public and not-for-profit sectors as well as across age groups and gender." - cover.

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Are you your own worst enemy? : the nine inner strengths you need to overcome self-defeating tendencies at work
Watson, Charles E. & Idinopulos, Thomas A.

How anyone can manage the ongoing pressures of work and stay true to their ideals by: learning to make things happen, breaking the chains of mindless routine, mastering self-discipline, and beinging of service to others.
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Celebrating reform : doing business case studies
International Finance Corporation & World Bank

Presents 11 case studies of how governments around the world have successful tackled regulation reform in the areas of business regulation, business licensing, enforcing contracts, trading across borders, and employing new workers.

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Con$umed : how markets corrupt children, infantilize adults, and swallow citizens whole
Barber, Benjamin R.

"Offers a vivid portrait of a global economy that overproduces goods and targets children as consumers ... where the primary goal is no longer to manufacture goods but needs." - cover.

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Bringing out the Best in Generation Y (journal article)
by Deborah Gilburg
from CIO, 11 January 2008
"They’re your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, aka the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here’s the low-down on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them."

Toxic Mix or Bit of a Mixed Blessing? (journal article)

by Sue Bushell

from CIO, 11 January 2008

"The inter-generational office brew of Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y may not be quite as odious as that of the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but even so it makes 'for a charm of powerful trouble'."

The Chinese economy : transitions and growth [book]
Barry Naughton

Examines China’s transition to a market economy, and the current situation regarding population growth, international trade, rural industrialization and environmental policy.

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