What if there were a way to cut through all the financial mumbo-jumbo? Wouldn't it be great if someone could really explain to us-in plain and simple English-the basics we must know about investing in order to insure our financial freedom?
At last, here's good news.
Jargon-free and written for all investors-experienced, beginner, and everyone in between-THE INVESTMENT ANSWER distills the process into just five decisions-five straightforward choices that can lead to safe and sound ways to manage your money.
When Wall Street veteran Gordon Murray told his good friend and financial advisor, Dan Goldie, that he had only six months to live, Dan responded, "Do you want to write that book you've always wanted to do?" The result is this eminently valuable primer which can be read and understood in one sitting, and has advice that benefits you, not Wall Street and the rest of the traditional financial services industry.
THE INVESTMENT ANSWER asks readers to make five basic but key decisions to stack the investment odds in their favor. The advice is simple, easy-to-follow, and effective, and can lead to a more profitable portfolio for every investor. Specifically:
* Should I invest on my own or seek help from an investment professional?
* How should I allocate my investments among stocks, bonds, and cash?
* Which specific asset classes within these broad categories should I include in my portfolio?
* Should I take an actively managed approach to investing, or follow a passive alternative?
* When should I sell assets and when should I buy more?
In a world of fast-talking traders who believe that they can game the system and a market characterized by instability, this extraordinary and timely book offers guidance every investor should have.

During the 21st century organizations will undergo a level of radical and global change that has rarely been seen before. This transformation will come as a result of the environmental, social and economic challenges that now confront organisations in all their activities. But are our understandings and theories of change up to the task of meeting these challenges? Will we be able to develop sustaining visions of how organizations might contribute to the long-term viability of our interdependent global communities? Organizational Transformation for Sustainability: An Integral Metatheory offers some innovative answers to the big questions involved in organizational sustainability and the radical changes that organizations will need to undergo as we move into the third millennium. This new approach comes from the emerging field of integral metatheory. Edwards shows how a "Big Picture" view of organisational transformation can contribute to our understanding of, and search for, organisational sustainability. There are four key themes to the book: i) the need for integrative metatheories for organisational change; ii) the development of a general research method for building metatheory; iii) the description of an integral metatheory for organisational sustainability; and iv) the discussion of the implications of this metatheory for organisational change and social policy regarding sustainability. This book brings a unique and important orienting perspective to these issues.

"The fourth sector" consists of for-benefit organizations that combine market-based approaches of the private sector with the social and environmental aims of the public and non-profit sectors. This book examines successful experiences around the world in entrepreneurship in the fourth sector in recent times. The chapters also reveal the pivotal role of the public sector collaboration with private entities in solving the problems of humanity.

Both firms and governments are increasingly taking steps to address sustainability, and at the same time the issue of governance has become more prominent due to the numerous problems in public and business life which have manifest failures in governance. As initiatives for sustainability increase in importance and prominence, so has the need for governance of sustainability plans and actions. This volume of Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility responds to that need and focuses on the relations between governance and sustainability. The book looks at what has been happening in various locations around the world, identifying varying approaches and examining whether and how a best practice could be developed. Gathering contributions that are varied in scope and produced by authors from around the world, it provides a rich picture of the progress (or lack of progress) being made in a wide array of contexts. For its depth and broad scope, Governance and Sustainability is a must-read for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity, a definitive manifestation of the well-worn links between progress and devastation. This book explores the complex relationship that the corporate world has with climate change and examines the central role of corporations in shaping political and social responses to the climate crisis. The principal message of the book is that despite the need for dramatic economic and political change, corporate capitalism continues to rely on the maintenance of 'business as usual'. The authors explore the different processes through which corporations engage with climate change. Key discussion points include climate change as business risk, corporate climate politics, the role of justification and compromise, and managerial identity and emotional reactions to climate change. Written for researchers and graduate students, this book moves beyond descriptive and normative approaches to provide a sociologically and critically informed theory of corporate responses to climate change.

Sustainability is one of the key concepts underlying our thinking about corporate responsibilities, particularly with respect to the environment and inter-generational justice, but also in relation to corporate governance and the long-term economic viability. The advantages of the discourse of Sustainability are that it brings together contemporary economic and moral imperatives in the context of scientific knowledge. Its disadvantages relate to its open-ended content, its systematic ambiguity, and the internal tensions between economic growth, human survival and global justice. The essays in this volume reflect these strengths and weaknesses from a variety of viewpoints - economic, scientific, social and philosophical. They illustrate and illuminate the varied and contested content and utility of this currently popular concept and point to its multiple implications for the development of corporate responsibilities.

The 2008/9 crisis in global commercial debt markets exposed glaring deficiencies in corporate and regulatory operational and strategic risk management systems. This collection provides an overview of how narrow conceptions of responsibility in corporate law, organizational practice and regulatory dynamics facilitated the crisis. The first section revisits the debates about the role of the corporation prompted by the publication of The Modern Corporation and Private Property (1932). The second section explores why the conception of enlightened shareholder interest gained and retained potency despite demonstrable failure. The third section explores how the interaction between the foundational assumptions of corporate law and the (questionable) efficacy of shareholder control framed regulatory responses to the growth of financial capitalism. The fourth section examines ways in which excess can be restrained by the interaction between hard law, softer governance arrangements such as principles and, crucially, norms.

This collection examines how greed should be understood and appraised. Roundly condemned by virtually all religions, greed receives mixed appraisals in the domains of business and economics. The volume examines these mixed appraisals and how they fare in light of their implications for greed in our everyday world. Greed in children is uniformly criticized by parents, other adults, and even children's peers. However, in adulthood, greed is commended by some as essential to profit-seeking in business and for offering the greatest promise in promoting economic prosperity for everyone. Those who advocate a more permissive position on greed in the adult world typically concede that some constraints on greed are needed. However, the supporting literature offers little analysis of what greed is (as distinct from, for example, the effort to meet modest needs, or the pursuit of ordinary self-interested ends). It offers little clarification of what sorts of constraints on greed are needed. Nor is careful attention given to difficulties children might have in making a transition without moral loss from regarding greed as inappropriate to its later qualified acceptance. Through a secular approach, this book attempts to make significant inroads in remedying these shortcomings.

This book addresses the dilemma that firms face in engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) while maintaining a financially sustainable business model in the era of digital transformation. Several strategies that firms have taken to integrate CSR within the business model are also highlighted. To explicate the problems involved, the book primarily focuses on entrepreneurial ventures, given their nascent business model that best illustrates how business leaders can embed the social mission in the firm at the beginning of organizational founding. In this age, sustainability is an innovation's new frontier. For sustainable competitive advantage, the book argues for how companies can build more sustainable products, processes, and practices that benefit the firm and society through maintaining an entrepreneurial philosophy. The target readership consists of academics, students, and practitioners in the areas of entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, organizational theory, and strategic management. This book clarifies the critical practices of sustainability-oriented innovative firms and creative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through a review of recent trends in CSR, the authors emphasize that CSR is no longer a "bolt-on" or some kind of window-dressing to satisfy public relations (PR) needs. Credible CSR is critical to business legitimacy and sustainability. Aware of the public's increasing scrutiny, companies are increasingly ramping up their focus on social responsibility, whether by championing women's rights, protecting the environment, or attempting to obliterate poverty, on local, national, or global levels. Simultaneously, more firms face accusations of "greenwashing" - backlash due to consumer mistrust in the intentions behind their CSR practices. While numerous works have highlighted this dilemma and how companies fall short in their prosocial goals or financial objectives (or both), there is a lack of understanding of the ingredients and crucial processes required for the successful implementation of CSR in entrepreneurial enterprises. This book serves to fill that gap.

Traditionally, industry has been accused of sacrificing sustainable development in the pursuit of short-term profit. Yet today, under the banner of Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER), a growing number of business organizations are claiming to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. So, what is this emerging phenomenon of CER and what does it aspire to achieve? How pervasive is it and what are its implications for both business and the environment? This collection of essential articles and papers maps the development of the CER concept, traces the principal debates concerning its contribution to environmental protection, assesses the evidence as to what extent corporations are seeking to "do well be doing good" and explains why some companies have gone down this path when others, similarly situated, have been unwilling to do so. In essence, it asks: what has CER accomplished, what can it accomplish, and what is beyond its reach?

Arguably, the Human Resources (HR) function is the key partner in embedding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability initiatives in any organisation, as this can be achieved only when a company educates, engages and empowers its entire workforce.

During the last decade, the sustainability position in multinational corporations has grown in influence. Much literature has explored how corporations can play an important role in solving the environmental challenges facing the planet. However, until now, there has been little research on sustainability leadership at the individual level. In this book, Schein explores the deeper psychological motivations of sustainability leaders. He shows how these motivations relate to overall effectiveness and capacity to lead transformational change and he explores the ways in which the complexity of sustainability is driving new approaches to leadership.Drawing on interviews with 75 leaders from over 40 multinational corporations and NGOs, Schein explores how ecological worldviews are developed and expressed in global sustainability practice. By applying key theories from developmental psychology, integral ecology and eco-psychology to sustainability practice, Schein encourages us to think about leadership in a different way. A New Psychology for Sustainability Leadership will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience of social scientists, educators, corporate executives, and social entrepreneurs. The insights from this book can be usefully integrated into leadership curriculum and development programs to help the next generation of leaders respond to global challenges.

Do you want to have a positive impact on the world? Do you want to have a successful career that makes a difference? In short... do you want to do Good Work? Let this step-by-step guide show you how.

Packed with useful tools and exercises, this step-by-step guide will help you figure out your passion and purpose, and how to effectively harness it to make real and positive change - on the world, and on your career. Whether you want to battle climate change, promote diversity and inclusion, work in sustainability - or if you're not sure, but just want to leave things a little better at the end of every work day - let this book support you in turning that passion into action.

Written by corporate responsibility consultant and certified coach Shannon Houde, this book is part career guide and part job search help - and all purpose-driven. From understanding what the 'purpose economy' is and how you fit into it, to what jobs to go for and how to land them, Good Work is the helping hand you need to make a career out of changing the world.

'This is a must read!' Vince Cable, former leader of the Liberal Democrats 'Reads like a rip roaring tale of a corporate high wire act' John McDonnell, former Shadow Chancellor 'Should be sold with a bottle of blood-pressure pills' Edward Lucas, The Times The proud owner of a sprawling GBP14m estate in the Cotswolds, boasting a stable of eventing horses, a fleet of supercars and neighbouring the royal family, Neil Woodford was the most celebrated and successful British investor of his generation. He spent years beating the market; betting against the dot com bubble in the 1990s and the banks before the financial crash in 2008, making blockbuster returns for his investors and earning himself a reputation of 'the man who made Middle England rich'. But, in 2019, after a stream of poorly-judged investments, Woodford's asset management company collapsed, trapping hundreds of thousands of rainy-day savers in his flagship fund and hanging GBP3.6 billion in the balance. In Built on a Lie, Financial Times reporter Owen Walker reveals the disastrous failings of Woodford, the greed at the heart of his operation, the flaws of an industry in thrall to its star performers and the dangers of limited regulation. With exclusive access to Woodford's inner circle, Walker will reveal the full, jaw-dropping story of Europe's biggest investment scandal in a decade. 'Vital financial journalism with heart' Emma Barnett, broadcaster

Across the US and the UK, few senior accountants exist in proportion to their white peers, and only a handful ever reach the level of partner in large accounting firms. This problem has been left largely unexamined on both sides of the Atlantic and is overwhelmingly disregarded due to an inherent assumption of racial neutrality within the field of accountancy. This book unpacks the lived working experience of black accountants in the US and UK to highlight the existence of institutionalized racism. Using the perspective of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Anton Lewis demonstrates how the black accountant is in fact an outsider, with limited options for professional progress. He offers a qualitative, narrative-focused approach, exploring detailed testimonies of Black British and African American accountants within a CRT theoretical framework, to highlight how the field of accounting has participated in a historic system of racial and professional inequities. This book invites the reader to critically examine how black people enter and progress in the field and comprehend the processes by which black accountants understand the impact race has on their professional identities. Looking at the way forward, the author also serves up practical guidelines for black accountants on how to network, and how best to strategize for success across their careers from entry level positions, to senior professionals seeking partnership.

Debunking the myths around the current economic belief systems, this book reveals how mainstream perspectives work for the benefit of the organised money establishment, while causing all manner of destructions, inequalities and frauds, all conspiring against the common good. Focused on the realities of organisational systems, Pearson offers a practical alternative to economic dogma. Written from a distinctive perspective that combines practitioner and academic expertise, this book is structured as a simple model of business strategy and identifies necessary systems change in order to achieve a truly sustainable future.

Debunking the myths around the current economic belief systems, this book reveals how mainstream perspectives work for the benefit of the organised money establishment, while causing all manner of destructions, inequalities and frauds, all conspiring against the common good. Focused on the realities of organisational systems, Pearson offers a practical alternative to economic dogma. Written from a distinctive perspective that combines practitioner and academic expertise, this book is structured as a simple model of business strategy and identifies necessary systems change in order to achieve a truly sustainable future.

Good governance is good PR, it is important in every sphere of society, whether it be the corporate environment, the political, or wider society. When resources are too limited to meet the minimum expectations of the people, it is a good governance level that can help to promote the welfare of society. Enlightened companies recognise that there is a clear link between governance and corporate social responsibility and make efforts to link the two. Unfortunately this is too often no more than making a claim that good governance is a part of their CSR policy as well as a part of their relationship with shareholders. Corporate Governance and CSR are significant issues in all parts of the world, huge amounts of time and energy are devoted to its global interpretation. Most analysis however is too simplistic to be helpful as it normally resolves itself into simple dualities: rules based v principles based or Anglo-Saxon v Continental. The editors of this book argue that this is not helpful - that the reality is far more complex. They show that Corporate Governance and CSR cannot be understood without taking geographical, cultural and historical factors into account. It is necessary, they say to understand the concerns of people in different parts of the world. Therefore, by using a wealth of case studies, theoretical models, and drawing on the knowledge and perspective of experts from around the world, the editors have produced this valuable book. Global Perspectives on Corporate Governance and CSR discusses issues such as regional and cultural similarities and differences, the contexts of differing legal frameworks and governance codes, differences between large companies and SMEs, governance in new environments (companies and economies) versus stable environments, and the changing environment affecting corporate social responsibility around the world. The editors then synthesise this in a way that will be helpful to business people as well as to academics.

This edition of Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting includes articles from a distinguished group of authors. The topics cover many aspects of professional responsibility and ethics in accounting, including whistleblowing, professional skepticism, earnings management, cognitive style and ethics.

After each major corporate scandal, new suggestions for combatting fraud emerge from regulators and industry professionals. Despite changes to guidelines for firms' corporate governance, augmented protection for whistle blowers, and enhanced cybersecurity measures, evidence documents an alarming increase in the prevalence and severity of corporate fraud. The rapidly changing laws aimed at curbing corporate fraud sometimes lag behind the changing sophistication of fraud schemes. Corporate Fraud Exposed discusses the motivations and drivers of fraud including agency theory, executive compensation, and organizational culture. It examines fraud's consequences for various firm stakeholders and its spillover effects to other corporations, the political environment, and financial market participants, including those who participate via crowdfunding platforms. This book provides a fresh look at this intriguing but often complex subject. It skillfully blends the contributions of a global array of scholars and practitioners into a single review of some of the most important topics in this area. Given its broad scope, this practical and comprehensive title should be of interest to anyone curious about corporate fraud.

Religion and spirituality have often been treated with a secular disdain by management theorists. Recently, the tide has begun to turn and there is a growing openness to cite spirituality in academic analysis and debate, and when considering issues of practical concern to those engaged in the actual business of management. This provocative book brings together a range of leading thinkers to consider the relationship between spirituality and corporate social responsibility. The book's contributors examine spirituality as an inherent dimension of corporate life even if it is only known through its absence - and through the negative consequences of this absence on people and the planet. With contributors from four continents, David Bubna-Litic has assembled a range of fascinating perspectives having their origins in traditions that include Christianity, Process Theology, Hinduism, Contemporary Buddhism, Deep Ecology, Humanism, Post-Modern and Post-Romantic Spirituality. Spirituality and Corporate Social Responsibility is a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in ways in which spirituality relates to what is or what should be driving businesses and organizations to more responsible behaviour.

This is the first book in the field of corporate social responsibility to examine the progress of a standard over a ten-year period. Published in late 1997 and revised in 2001, the Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) standard and verification system is a comprehensive tool aiming to assure humane workplaces throughout the supply chain. The SA8000 system includes: factory-level management system requirements for ongoing compliance and continual improvement; independent, expert verification of compliance by certification bodies; the involvement of all key stakeholders in the SA8000 system; and harnessing consumer and investor concern by helping to identify and support companies that are committed to assuring human rights in the workplace. As of 31 December 2007, nearly 700,000 workers were employed in 1,500 facilities certified to SA8000, in 65 countries and 67 industrial sectors. Ten years on, what has the impact of SA8000 been and how do its architects and users see it developing into the future? In this book, businesses, NGOs, academics and trade union leaders provide much-needed perspective on the lessons learned from SA8000 and set an agenda for the next decade. The book also provides context on the leading initiatives within the field of CSR (such as ISO 26000 and the Business for Social Compliance Initiative) and how they relate to SA8000. The book features case studies on the experiences of a wide range of companies, including Gucci, The GAP, Chiquita, TNT, Tata and Otto Versand, and on many of the most innovative programmes in the field of CSR, such as the Made-By label. Analysts from emerging economies provide valuable insights into how SA8000 has become a key tool in Brazil and India. The book addresses many of the key themes for corporate responsibility such as traceability, supply chain management and transparency. SA8000: The First Decade provides insights for company managers, NGOs, policy-makers and trade union leaders on how to implement a social standard and will be required reading for any manager seeking to implement SA8000 or any other code of conduct or standard for their suppliers. Deborah Leipziger is well known for her book The Corporate Responsibility Code Book, published in 2003 and considered to be one of the key reference books in the field of CSR. SA8000: The First Decade is an extension of Ms Leipziger's work over a 17-year career in the field of CSR, in which she has played a role in the development of many social standards, including SA8000 and the Ethical Trading Initiative, and advised many others.

This book addresses the status quo of Corporate Social Responsibility practices and their development since 2008. How have things changed in the practice of CSR? What new opportunities and challenges have arisen? The book reports on an international set of cases and case studies on how CSR is practiced at business and organizations in various countries. It analyzes country-specific and industry-specific issues, as well as general global issues in connection with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The contributions gathered here provide comprehensive information on CSR for both practitioners and researchers around the globe.

Corporate social responsibility is now an established agenda for large companies, with a new profession emerging that engages in the social and environmental contribution of business. How has this agenda emerged over time? What were the key events and actors? How has this new "movement" of committed individuals been taking shape around the globe? Insights into these questions come from a review of the first half of first decade of the 21st century. The Corporate Responsibility Movement compiles Lifeworth's highly praised Annual Reviews of Corporate Responsibility from 2001 to 2005. It is introduced with a new overview by the lead author of those reviews, Dr Jem Bendell, in a piece that examines the trajectory of a new social movement in and around business. At a time of searching questions about the future of finance, Dr Bendell argues that a new concept of "capital democracy" is emerging from within the community of people working towards corporate responsibility, which could be mainstreamed as a socially and environmentally enhanced system of economy. He calls on professionals, researchers and policy-makers to embrace an ambitious agenda for corporate responsibility and develop greater insight into acting together as a movement for change. This book is an essential resource for business libraries, recording, analysing and contextualising some of the key events, issues and trends during this historic period in the development of the corporation.

This book offers an in-depth exploration of various New Testament passages with the purpose of identifying lessons, values, and behaviors that can contribute to an understanding of organizational spirituality from a Christian worldview. Covering contemporary concepts such as women in leadership, cross-cultural leadership, transparency, and authenticity, each chapter examines an organizational leadership topic through the lens of specific New Testament principles. This volume with a fresh perspective provides theoretical and practical applications for scholars and practitioners in the field of organizational leadership.