Starting an online business for dummies [book]

Authors: Melissa Norfolk & Greg Holden

Chapters include: Opening your own online business in ten easy steps, Planning your new e-business, Selecting the right web host and design tools, Organising your business site structure and layout, Creating a secure shopping experience, Accepting payments, Running a business through online auctions, Advertising and publicity, Search engine optimisation, Taking advantage of Google’s tools, Online business accounting tools, Ten must-have features for your web site, and Ten must-see online business success stories.

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Managing smaller projects : a practical guide [book]

Author: Mike Watson

"So called "small projects" can have potentially alarming consequences if they go wrong, but their control is often left to chance. The solution is to adapt tried and tested project management techniques. This book provides a low overhead, highly practical way of looking after small projects. It covers all the essential skills: from project start-up, to managing risk, quality, and change, through to controlling the project and implementing a simple control system." - cover.

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OECD Economic Outlook, June 2009 [online]

Source: OECD

"Provides analysis of recent economic developments and economic projections for OECD and major non-OECD countries through the end of 2010. Its comprehensive statistical annex is a useful reference tool for international economic comparisons. This issue finds that a recovery is in sight but that damage from the crisis is likely to be long-lasting. " - abstract.

Understanding the Arab culture : a practical cross-cultural guide to working in the Arab world, 2nd edition [book]

Author: Jehad Al-Omari

"An essential guide to understanding what makes Arabs tick and how to develop successful business relationships in this challenging culture. This book aims to give guidelines and practical tips, to inform and also raise necessary questions, to build bridges and demolish barriers, and finally, to clarify a few misconceptions about the Arabs, their culture and their attitudes." - from publisher.

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The (Mythical?) housing wealth effect [online]
Source: National Bureau of Economic Research (US)
"We conclude that the housing wealth effect has been overstated. While we do not deny that housing is perhaps the most important sector of the economy with respect to business cycle fluctuations, that link likely reflects channels other than the housing wealth effect." - page 3.

Government in Your Business (journal article)
By Robert B Reich
from Harvard Business Review Vol 87 Iss 7/8 Jul/Aug 2009, pp. 94 - 99
"For the foreseeable future, governments will take a keen interest in how executives manage. In the U.S., industries and sectors representing more than a third of the nation's economy -- including financial services, automobiles, health care, and telecom -- are being reshaped. But don't expect a return of old-style regulation, which would stifle innovation. Government will coax businesses rather than curb them by offering incentives for desirable conduct. Private-sector managers will need to develop a new mind-set and skill set so they can partner with government rather than fend it off. Change has actually been on the horizon for years. It's the culmination of several long-term trends, such as a deepening distrust of business, greater ties between the interests of business and society, and decreasing regulatory control across national borders. Over time, economies worldwide will settle on versions of the system that's beginning to emerge in the United States. Governments will make use of taxes and tax credits to promote wanted behavior, such as investing in renewable energy or hiring veterans, and to discourage unwanted behavior, like emitting excess carbon. They will also take a more active role in coordinating public and private interests through rules on how businesses and individuals are compensated."

The End of Rational Economics (journal article)
By Dan Ariely
from Harvard Business Review Vol 87 Iss 8/7 Jul/Aug 2009, pp. 78 - 84
"Standard economic theory assumes that human beings are capable of making rational decisions and that markets and institutions, in the aggregate, are healthily self-regulating. But the global economic crisis, argues Ariely, has shattered these two articles of faith and forced us to confront our false assumptions about the way markets, companies, and people work. So where do corporate managers -- who are schooled in rational assumptions but run messy, often unpredictable businesses -- go from here? In this lively article, the author, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, shows how the emerging discipline of behavioral economics can help businesses better defend against foolishness and waste. Smart organizations will develop a behavioral economics capability by hiring qualified experimenters and conducting small trials that build on one another, revealing a radically different view of how people make decisions. Revenge and cheating are only two of the irrational behaviors that companies will find underlying their employees' and customers' actions. Once an understanding of irrationality is embedded in the fabric of an organization, a behavioral economics approach can be applied to virtually every area of the business, from governance and employee relations to marketing and customer service. "

Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis (journal article)
By Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow and Marty Linsky
from Harvard Business Review Vol 87 Iss 7/8 Jul- Aug 2009, pp. 62 - 69
"The current economic crisis is not just another rough spell. Today's mix of urgency, high stakes, and uncertainty will continue even after the recession ends. The immediate crisis -- which we will get through with policy makers' expert technical adjustments -- sets the stage for a sustained, or even permanent, crisis, a relentless series of challenges no one has encountered before. Instead of hunkering down and relying on their familiar expertise to deal with the sustained crisis, people in positions of authority -- whether they are CEOs or managers heading up a company initiative -- must practice what the authors call adaptive leadership. They must, of course, tackle the underlying causes of the crisis, but they must also simultaneously make the changes that will allow their organizations to thrive in turbulent environments. Adaptive leadership is an improvisational and experimental art, requiring some new practices. Like Julie Gilbert, who overcame internal resistance to reorient Best Buy toward female purchasers, adaptive leaders get things done to meet today's challenges and then modify those things to thrive in tomorrow's world. They also embrace disequilibrium, using turbulence as an opportunity to build crucial new capacities, as Paul Levy did to rescue Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from a profound financial crisis. Finally, adaptive leaders, such as Egon Zehnder, the founder of an executive search firm, draw out the leadership skills that reside deep in the organization, recognizing the interdependence of all employees and mobilizing everyone to generate solutions."

The 10 Trends You Have to Watch (journal article)
By Eric Beinhocker, Ian Davis and Lenny Mendonca
from Harvard Business Review Vol 87 Iss 7/8 Jul/Aug 2009, pp. 55 - 60
"Executives are beginning to look to the future after spending a full year in crisis mode. As they reengage in strategic thinking, they will need to continually assess the changing economic landscape -- and they can effectively do that by keeping a close watch on the underlying forces outlined in this article. The authors, from McKinsey & Company, discuss the current trajectories of 10 particularly important trends: strains on natural resources, a damper on globalization, the loss of trust in business, the growing role of government, investment in quantitative decision tools, shifting patterns of global consumption, the economic rise of Asia, industry structure upheaval, technological innovation, and price instability. Companies' strategic behavior should be tied closely to these trajectories. For instance, given recent reversals in what had seemed to be an unstoppable trend -- globalization -- managers should reassess their business models under different future scenarios. Would they fare as well in a more protectionist world as they would in one with free and fair movement of goods, capital, and talent? Or would certain production locations no longer make sense, certain overseas business units lose value, or certain core activities be harder to perform? Meanwhile, as the U.S. ceases to be the engine of global consumption, businesses should increasingly set their sights on China and India, where consumer spending is growing faster. In mature markets, they should refocus their offerings on the remaining sweet spot of demand: consumers over age 50."

Australia's Export Promotion Program: Is It Effective? (journal article)
By Paul Brewer
from Australian Journal of Management Vol 34 No 1 Jun 2009, pp. 125 - 142
"The article appraises the effectivity of the export promotion program (EPP) in Australia. It reviews the suite of export promotion activities of the Australian Government through the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) agency and the research-based attempts for EPP's and other associated problems' evaluation. The development of the country's export promotion programs has been looked up and the issue in relevance to the collected data is presented and commented. The situation of EPP, its implications for other countries, and future research ideas regarding such area are also being discussed."

Fish! culture : essential conversations that transform your organization [DVD / Training Kit]

Authors: John Christensen, Mind Resources & ChartHouse Learning

"Seattle’s world-famous Pike Place Fish Market is an otherwise ordinary fish market that’s extraordinarily successful. The work is hard and the hours are long - yet these employees make a personal choice to bring amazing passion, playfulness, committee and a postive attitude to work everyday." - publisher’s website. This kit contains all you need to facilitate a successful workshop on organizational change.

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The solution to the ‘investment’ vs ‘cuts’ debate in Local Government (article) by Tom Shakespeare
from eGov Monitor, Monday 6 July 2009
"Local Government should be the first major institutional investor to stimulate the emergence and growth for a large scale social and environmental investment market. There is a huge demand for increased support and growth of the social and environmental market, and given its mutual aims, local government is the best-placed industry to reconnect markets and morals. These are the conclusions of our recent Localis report entitled ‘More for your Money’."

The Leadership pill : the missing ingredient in motivating people today [book]

Authors: Kenneth H. Blanchard & Marc Muchnick

"A fun parable that underscores the need for leaders to show integrity, build a culture of partnership, and affirm people’s sense of self-worth by letting them know that what they do is important." - introduction.

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Measuring the Return from Australian Tourism Marketing Expenditure.
(article - citation only)
by Nada Kulendran and Larry Dwyer
from Journal of Travel Research, Vol 47 No 3 Fen 2009, pp.275-284
"Tourism Australia, the primary agency responsible for marketing Australia as a destination internationally, spends around 32% of its total marketing expenditure in Asian markets. Asia contributes around 40% of the visitor arrivals to Australia. When Tourism Australia invests public money to promote Australia as a tourist destination, there is a need to estimate the return per dollar investment. This article estimated the return per dollar investment in Asia using a dynamic modeling approach and cost effectiveness analysis." Ask us if you'd like a copy of this article.

Socio-Economic Effects of Agri-Tourism on Local Communities in Turkey: The Case of Aglasun.
from International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration Vol. 10 No 2, 2009 pp.129-142
"This research aims to investigate the main socio-economic effects of agri-tourism on local community of Aglasun village in Burdur, Turkey. The study tries to give a perspective on the development of agri-tourism in Turkey and has a purpose of focusing on the social and economical dynamics of the host-guest encounters by pointing out the linkage between agriculture and tourism as a growing importance among tourism scholars. According to the interview results, economic benefits of agri-tourism have not been observed yet, since it is a new type of development in the region. Some dimensions of social effects such as tourist contact and cultural exchange are more observable than the others such as eating&drinking habits or clothing habits. Since there is not not any fully developed agri-touristic village in Turkey, the study is going to focus on the future expectations, long term benefits and perceptions on agri-tourism."
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Is regional tourism marketing in need of an overhaul? (journal article)
from Marketing, 15 April 2009
"The article presents statements from corporate executives regarding a poll about the overhauling of regional tourism marketing in Great Britain. Simon Thompson of Lastminute.com believes that there is an enormous opportunity for individual destinations or attractions. Hugh Bishop of Meteorite stresses that any changes having a positive effect on the tourism industry should be applauded. Martine Ainsworth-Wells notes that London is not a region and should not be treated as such."

International trade : free, fair and open? [online]

Authors: Patrick Love & Ralph Lattimore, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

"Jobs, the environment, relations between rich and poor countries - trade affects them all, but not always in the way we might think, or like. This book will try to present an objective picture of the state of world trade, the factors that influence it and how trade in turn influences important aspects of our lives." - introduction.

The Chief learning officer : driving value within a changing organization through learning and development [book]

Authors: Tamar Elkeles & Jack Phillips

"As businesses continue to experience rapid change, learning has become a key advantage for achieving business goals. The individual driving this function, the Chief Learning Officer (CLO), is in a unique position to add significant value to the organization. The role of the CLO is to drive value, focusing on issues such as business alignment, managing resources, innovation, customer service and ROI." - cover.

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It's the Data stupid
Source: Dun and Bradstreet, White Paper
"Every year Australian companies spend millions of dollars on customer and supplier relationship software and systems. Yet all too often this investment fails to realise its potential and organisations are left wondering why their expectations haven’t been met. At the heart of this problem is a failure to understand that technology is just one part of the solution. Equally important is the data used to power these systems.
This Dun & Bradstreet whitepaper examines the critical role of data in business development and risk mitigation and explores a number of ways in which smart companies can gain true insight from data management and integration strategies."

The World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2009 [reference]

Author: IMD

"Based on more than 300 criteria, the WCY offers a unique and comprehensive appraisal of competitiveness, emphasizing hard, quantifiable statistics that represent 2/3 of the overall ranking."

Now available in Library & Research Services' Reference Collection.