Just enough anxiety (article)
By Robert Rosen
from Training Journal Apr 2008, pp. 33 - 36
"The author explains how the 'right level' of anxiety can be a positive force for driving organisations forward."
Contact the Library to request this article.

How Much do Public Schools Really Cost? Estimating the Relationship between House Prices and School Quality
By Ian Davidoff and Andrew Leigh
from Economic Record Vol 84 Iss 265 Jun 2008, pp. 193–206
"This paper investigates the relationship between housing prices and the quality of public schools in the Australian Capital Territory. To disentangle the effects of schools and other neighbourhood characteristics on the value of residential properties, we compare sale prices of homes on either side of high school attendance boundaries. We find that a 5 percentage point increase in test scores (approximately 1 SD) is associated with a 3.5 per cent increase in house prices. Our result is in line with private school tuition costs, and accords with prior research from the UK and the USA. Estimating the effect of school quality on house prices provides a possible measure of the extent to which parents value better educational outcomes. "

Public policies against global warming: a supply side approach
By Hans-Werner Sinn
from International Tax and Public Finance Vol 15 No 4 Aug 2008, pp. 360-394
"The countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have pledged to limit global warming by reducing the demand for fossil fuels. But what about supply? If suppliers do not react, demand reductions by a subset of countries are ineffective. They simply depress the world price of carbon and induce the environmental sinners to consume what the Kyoto countries have economized on. Even worse, if suppliers feel threatened by a gradual greening of economic policies in the Kyoto countries that would damage their future prices; they will extract their stocks more rapidly, thus accelerating global warming. The paper discusses the remaining policy options against global warming from an intertemporal supply-side perspective. "

Consumer Trends in Three Different Worlds
By Andy Hines
from Futurist Vol 42 Iss 4 Jul/Aug2008, pp. 18 -23
"The article discusses the major trends affecting consumers worldwide. The trends include the aging societies, migration, changing family structures, the growth of the middle class, and increasing time pressures among others. It analyzes how the trends vary in different parts of the world, such as the more affluent World One nations, the majority in the middle World Two emerging economies, and the struggling World Three economies in dire straits. Moreover, a survey reveals that about three-fourths of baby boomers in the U.S. plan to keep working beyond retirement age."

Sex, science and profits
Author: Kealey, Terence

"Sex, Science and Profits" ranges across history to explore the nature of science, economics and philosophy. Starting with the Neolithic discovery of tools, this book explains the role of concubines in Ancient Egypt and the emergence of the Portuguese as Europe’s premier seafaring explorers, questions the usefulness of patents, and describes how the race for technological progress plays out between nations, governments and corporations."

Click here to borrow book.

Bad Money
Author: Phillips, Kevin
"In his last book, "American Theocracy", Kevin Phillips warned us of the perilous interaction of debt, financial recklessness, and the spiking cost - and growing scarcity - of oil. Now, in his most provocative and timely book yet, he takes the full measure of this crisis, of which the housing bubble is but one aspect. In its hubris, the financial sector has hijacked the American economy and put our very global future at risk."
Click here to borrow book.

Supercapitalism : the transformation of business, democracy, and everyday life
Author: Reich, Robert B.
"Mid-twentieth-century capitalism has turned into global capitalism, and global capitalism turbocharged, Web-based, and able to find and make almost anything just about anywhere has turned into supercapitalism. But as Robert B. Reich makes clear in this eye-opening book, while supercapitalism is working wonderfully well to enlarge the economic pie, democracy charged with caring for all citizens is becoming less and less effective under its influence. As one of America’s most influential voices, Reich sets out a clear course to a vibrant capitalism and a concurrent, equally vibrant democracy."

Click here to borrow book.

Starring Alliance
By Louis White
from Management Today May 2008, pp. 18 - 22
"How do you successfully integrate five parent companies to work together on a series of major infrastructure projects? Louis White finds out about Trackstar Alliance who is running with the Queensland Rail South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan."

A Pioneer's Lessons
By David Parmenter
from Management Today May 2008, pp. 28 - 30
"Great achievements invariably have imagination, planning and hard work behind them. David Parmenter outlines some leadership lessons from pioneering explorer Sir Edmund Hillary. "

Recruiting & retaining workers in rural Australia : case studies in mining and food and beverage processing industries [e-book]
Source: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
"Identifies policies, practices and training programs associated with recruitment and retention of workers and importantly, perceived barriers to attracting and retaining staff." - executive summary.
Click here to access.

Australia’s security and prosperity : ideas for 2020 [e-book]
Source: Australian National University. Dept of International Relations. RSPAS
A selection of papers considering international security in the 21st century, and Australia’s foreign relations in Asia and the Pacific region.
Click here to access.

Commercialising innovation : inspiration, ideas, knowledge and templates for investors, mentors and entrepreneurs [book]

Authors: Rick McElhinney & Rodney Overton

Chapters include: "Planning for commercialisation", "The changing face of capital raising", "Understanding equity investment", "Dealing with investors" and "Leveraging government assistance".

Click here to borrow book.

Government sponsored versus private venture capital : Canadian evidence [e-book]
Author: National Bureau of Economic Research
"Investigates the relative performance of enterprises backed by government-sponsored venture capitalists and private venture capitalists. ... The results indicate that enterprises financed by government-sponsored venture capitalists underperform on a variety of criteria, including value-creation, as measured by the likelihood and size of IPOs and M&As, and innovation, as measured by patents." - abstract.
Click here to access.

Behavioural economics and public policy [book]

Author: Australia. Productivity Commission

"Discussed the contribution that behaviour economics can make to a broader understanding of people’s motivation and behaviour in markets and the implications for policy and regulatory approaches." - foreword.

Click here to borrow book.

New business ventures and the entrepreneur [book]

Author: Michael J. Roberts

Chapters include: "What is entrepreneurship?", "Recognizing and analyzing opportunity", "Assembling intellectual, human and financial resources", "Managing the early-stage venture", and "Managing growth and realizing value".

Click here to borrow book.

Accountability, performance reporting, comprehensive audit : an integrated perspective [e-book]

Author: Canadian Comprehensive Auditing Foundation

"Provides readers with the basic concepts, frameworks, tools and practice guidelines they need to begin their learning or careers in the area of comprehensive auditing." - introduction.

Click here to access.

The 700 habits of highly ineffective people : and how you can avoid falling into them [book]

Author: Jonathan Biggins

A humourous look at how to become a more organised and effective person in your personal and professional life.

Click here to borrow book.

Value for Money in PFI Proposals: A Commentary on the UK Treasury Guidelines for Public Sector Comparators
By Andrew Coulson
from Public Administration Vol 86 Iss 2 June 2008, pp. 483–498
"The Private Finance Initiative (PFI), introduced to Britain in 1992, has become a major means of procuring public sector infrastructure. It involves long-term contracts whereby private sector suppliers construct and own capital assets and provide services for which they are paid on the basis of availability or use. This paper focuses on the early stages of a PFI procurement, the decision to use the PFI rather than any other form of procurement. In 2004 and 2006, the UK Treasury issued new Guidance as to how this should be done. There are two stages to this Guidance: qualitative and quantitative assessments. This paper comments on some of the key issues in the quantitative assessments: the treatment of risk, of residual and life-time costs, of tax, of rates of return and of the appropriate use of discounted flow techniques when finance is a constraint for an investing agency. "

The Path to Inclusion
By Holly Dolezalek
from Training May2008, Vol. 45 Iss. 4 May 2008, pp. 52-54
"The article discusses the need to connect diversity strategy to organizational strategy. Part of the problem with diversity training has always been its limitations, the article notes. Diversity leadership means leading others to a more inclusive mind-set so that everyone is contributing up to their full potential. Juan Johnson, a senior fellow at the Richard W. Riley Institute, adds that real diversity leadership is about having decision-making skills that help one make decisions that align with the mission, values, or strategy of the company."

How the Best of the Best Get Better and Better
By Graham Jones
from Harvard Business Review Vol. 86 Iss. 6 Jun 2008 , pp. 123-127
"What is the real key to elite performance? According to sports psychologist turned executive coach Graham Jones, star athletes and businesspeople share one defining trait: mental toughness. People who become champions aren't necessarily more gifted than others; they're just masters at managing pressure, meticulously tackling goals, and driving themselves to stay ahead of the competition. Jones, who has advised Olympic medalists and Fortune 500 executives, sees many parallels between the arenas of business and sports, especially in the behavior of people who rise to the very top. These stars have learned to love pressure because it spurs them to achieve. Inner-focused and self-directed, they concentrate on their own excellence and forget the rest. They don't get distracted by others' victories or failures -- or even by a personal tragedy off the field of competition. Like Darren Clarke, the golfer who inspired his team to a Ryder Cup victory shortly after the death of his beloved wife, elite performers are masters of compartmentalization. Superstars rebound from defeats more easily, Jones observes, because they don't engage in self-flagellation. One of the keys to their success is a relentless focus on the long term and the careful planning of short-term goals that will help them attain major milestones. Competition doesn't daunt elite performers; they just use it to challenge themselves -- and they never stop striving. Even after becoming benchmarks in their fields, stars keep their edge by reinventing themselves. Star businesspeople and athletes also recognize the importance of celebrating their wins. It's not just the emotional reward that's important, however: The very best performers also analyze the factors underpinning their success. That helps them build their expertise and their confidence."