Avoid data blunders and create truly useful visualizations Avoiding Data Pitfalls is a reputation-saving handbook for those who work with data, designed to help you avoid the all-too-common blunders that occur in data analysis, visualization, and presentation. Plenty of data tools exist, along with plenty of books that tell you how to use them but unless you truly understand how to work with data, each of these tools can ultimately mislead and cause costly mistakes. This book walks you step by step through the full data visualization process, from calculation and analysis through accurate, useful presentation. Common blunders are explored in depth to show you how they arise, how they have become so common, and how you can avoid them from the outset. Then and only then can you take advantage of the wealth of tools that are out there in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, the right tools can cut down on the time, labor, and myriad decisions that go into each and every data presentation. Workers in almost every industry are now commonly expected to effectively analyze and present data, even with little or no formal training. There are many pitfalls some might say chasms in the process, and no one wants to be the source of a data error that costs money or even lives. This book provides a full walk-through of the process to help you ensure a truly useful result. * Delve into the "data-reality gap" that grows with our dependence on data * Learn how the right tools can streamline the visualization process * Avoid common mistakes in data analysis, visualization, and presentation * Create and present clear, accurate, effective data visualizations To err is human, but in today's data-driven world, the stakes can be high and the mistakes costly. Don't rely on "catching" mistakes, avoid them from the outset with the expert instruction in Avoiding Data Pitfalls.

Five days a week. Or six. Thirty, forty, sixty hours. 90,000 in a lifetime. An abundance of creative possibility. So much more than a means to a mortgage, our work is a gift from God. And he wants to see us flourish in it all, doing what we were made to do: creating value, building homes or businesses, teaching primary schoolers or training pilots, stitching up minor injuries or serving macchiatos. Being everyday servants and witnesses in the world he entrusted to each of us, giving glory to the One who made us and gave us work to do. And yet, how many of us feel equipped, spiritually? Prayed for? Prepared for the opportunities and the challenges, the joys and the trials? In this innovative, compelling, often funny, story-filled book, ex-adman Mark Greene explores what the Bible has to say about contemporary work. From dealing with the boss, to being the boss; from working with competitive co-workers, to the challenges of working alone, here’s an empowering, tried and tested guide towards a more fulfilling and fruitful working life. A special 25th anniversary edition of a contemporary classic that’s stood the test of time and has been joyfully revised and updated for the times we’re in.

Malcolm McDonald on Key Account Management explores the challenges of winning, retaining and developing key accounts. Key accounts are customers who help their suppliers grow, and consequently, they wield significant power. Although they are the key to market share and revenue growth, the costs of serving key accounts can erode profitability unless they are thoroughly understood and managed. Malcolm McDonald on Key Account Management takes a step-by-step approach to presenting best practice in key account management. Whether your business is starting up or well-established, there is always more to discover about improving the way value is created between you and your most important customers. Malcolm McDonald and Beth Rogers have spent over twenty years researching, teaching and consulting on key account management, and have condensed their knowledge into this book, focusing on making it clear, concise and easy to use.

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work you need to accomplish? Being pulled in different directions by competing priorities? Getting Work Done runs you through the basics of being more productive at work. You’ll learn to: Align your schedule with your prioritiesFocus your attention and avoid distractionsCreate effective daily routinesSet boundaries and learn to say no Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives--from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

The practical guide to go from "drowning in work" to freeing up an extra business day per week for everyone on your team. "There just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done!" Sound familiar? Forget the old concepts of time management and the hustle culture of working until you burn out. You and your entire team can get more done, in far fewer hours, with the right blueprint. Come Up for Air is that blueprint. Through years of building a leading efficiency consulting business, Nick Sonnenberg has discovered the primary reason why so many teams are overwhelmed. It's not because they don't have enough time, managers expect too much of their employees, or there aren't enough people. The problem is that everyone is drowning in unnecessary work and inefficiencies that prevent them from focusing on the work that drives results. In Come Up for Air, you'll discover the CPR (R) Business Efficiency Framework, a proven system for leaders, managers, and teams to maximize their performance and reduce overwhelm by using the right tools in the right way, at the right time. The end result? More output, less stress, happier employees, and the potential to gain an extra full day per week in productivity to use however you'd like. You'll learn the proven empirical strategies from someone who not only turned his company around when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, but has also helped thousands of organizations around the world become more efficient and leverage the right systems and tools for explosive growth. Come Up for Air is the employee manual you never received. Turn to Come Up for Air to: Gain an extra full day per week in productivity for everyone on your team. Reduce stress and burnout by creating a more stable work environment. Eliminate the 58% of employee time per day spent on "work about work" instead of being productive. Improve company culture by empowering your team to spend their time on work that matters. Save an average of two hours per week just by optimizing email with the R.A.D. System. Stop wasting time on the "Scavenger Hunt" of trying to find where information is stored. Increase employee happiness, satisfaction, trust, and retention by making work easier. Stop wasting time in meetings with four proven techniques. Supplement your learning with free content and in-depth instructions at comeupforair.com.

You've completed the merger agreement. Now, how do you make the merger work? Nonprofit Mergers Part II helps you create a comprehensive plan to achieve integration. It addresses large, strategic issues as well as small practical ones. Integration issues and how to handle them Section I: Going the Distance provides a broad view of integration, its challenges, and how to meet them. Topics include the basic tenets of organizational change; what success looks like in a well-implemented merger; the purpose and content of an integration plan; how to address people issues through leadership and planning; and the relationship between effective leadership, effective communication, and their combined contribution to integration success. How to create a useful integration plan Section II: Creating an Integration Plan takes you step-by-step through this essential process. You'll learn about integration of boards, cultures, management, staff and volunteers, programs, communications and marketing, and systems--one by one, in detail; the steps needed to create each section of the plan; common challenges, roadblocks, and crises that will arise, and how to respond when they do; and processes, procedures, and interventions likely to be most helpful and necessary. Software helps you create an organized plan Included with the book is a CD-ROM with a detailed integration plan template. Use it to keep your planning organized and on track. This useful guide also includes sample integration plans, worksheets, checklists, and tips and quotes from leaders of merged organizations. Nonprofit Mergers Part II is a must-read for anyone considering, embarking on, of just completing a merger

Throughout the world, capitalism and democracy are being challenged with great force. The world must change, but it cannot be changed by throwing money at old ideas that no longer work. There needs to be a new path to a new world where inequality is shrinking, where natural resources are regenerated, and people can benefit from shared prosperity. This is the world being created by the Impact Revolution. Pre-eminent international investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and social finance innovator, Sir Ronald Cohen has dedicated two decades to leading the Impact Revolution to achieve real social and environmental change. As one of the founders of venture capital, which ushered in the Tech Revolution, he builds on his years of personal experience in IMPACT to deliver a compelling account of how impact investing is reshaping capitalism. Whether an aspiring young entrepreneur, an established business person, an investor, a philanthropist, or somebody in government - or are interested, as a consumer or employee, in companies doing good and doing well at the same time - IMPACT is a sure fire way to find out how to play a role in changing the world.

In diesem Buch wird das vielfältige Themenfeld der Verbraucherwissenschaften wissenschaftlich-konzeptionell definiert, skizziert und strukturiert. Ausgewählte Problemfelder der Verbraucherwissenschaften und der Verbraucherpolitikberatung stehen im Fokus wie z.B. Finanzen, Digitale Welt, Energie, Ernährung, Nachhaltigkeit und Gesundheit. Ausgewiesene Expertinnen und Experten stellen die wichtigsten Themengebiete systematisch vor und betrachten Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher zusätzlich aus der Praxisperspektive.   In der 2. Auflage wurden alle Beiträge aktualisiert und neue Beiträge hinzugefügt. Berücksichtigt wurden dabei auch die Entwicklungen in der Digitalen Welt, die derzeit zunehmend Einfluss auf das Erleben und Verhalten der Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher haben und mit der Herausbildung zahlreicher Phänomene, Institutionen und Funktionen einhergehen. Insbesondere wurden das Kapitel III, das sich„der "Digitalisierung in den Verbraucherwissenschaften“ widmet, sowie das Kapitel IV zum Thema „Institutionen“ neu strukturiert und erweitert.   Der Inhalt Definitionen, begriffliche Abgrenzung und Entwicklungspfade der Verbraucherwissenschaften Rahmenbedingungen aus wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher, historischer, technologischer, politikwissenschaftlicher, soziologischer und rechtlicher Perspektive Wesentliche Forschungsfelder Innovative Ansätze der Verbraucherwissenschaften Institutionen

The Effective Change Manager's Handbook helps practitioners, employers and academics define and practise change management successfully and develop change management maturity within their organization. A single-volume learning resource covering the range of knowledge required, it includes chapters from established thought leaders on topics ranging from benefits management, stakeholder strategy, facilitation, change readiness, project management and education and learning support. Endorsed by the Change Management Institute and the official guide to the CMI Body of Knowledge, The Effective Change Manager's Handbook covers the whole process from planning to implementation, offering practical tools, techniques and models to effectively support any change initiative. The editors of The Effective Change Manager's Handbook - Richard Smith, David King, Ranjit Sidhu and Dan Skelsey - are all experienced international consultants and trainers in change management. All four editors worked on behalf of the Change Management Institute to co-author the first global change management body of knowledge, The Effective Change Manager, and are members of the APMG International examination panel for change management.

Mainstreaming Corporate Sustainability is a practical guide to the leading tools and resources used to successfully integrate sustainability into a company's corporate culture. Through the examples of companies from around the world, it provides an overview of the basics of any successful sustainability program, including the various international standards and performance frameworks that can be adapted to companies striving to improve their sustainability performance. These standards are summarized and explained in clear language and a conversational tone, allowing the reader to absorb what can be a complicated maze of resources. Used as the centerpiece for a popular corporate sustainability class taught on campus and online at Harvard University Extension School, as well as other universities around the U.S., this guide provides students and professionals alike with an overview of the most valuable management tools and resources available today. The second edition has been expanded with updated resources and a greater emphasis on climate change and reducing a firm's carbon footprint.Mainstreaming Corporate Sustainability provides an understanding of the pitfalls and challenges of this ever-changing field. It helps the reader become adept at asking the right questions and speaking the language of sustainability professionals, providing guidance to become a leader in this important business arena. Recommendations for additional reading are provided throughout, allowing the reader to delve more deeply into the subject at any stage. Key Features: Provides step-by-step processes for building a corporate sustainability program from the ground up Emphasizes environmental and social responsibility while providing tools to promote successful financial measurement and economic success Includes key ingredients to enrich any existing sustainability program and prioritizes the various choices for action Helps to identify risk and opportunity to create economic success when environmental and social challenges arise Includes advice on stakeholder engagement and meeting communication challenges in today's shifting business world Describes how to develop strategies and systems management to promote successful transitions from inefficient operations Provides key advice for supply chain management and meeting challenges of the value chain for multi-national corporations Gives information about reporting and how to develop a clear and successful sustainability report Supplies ideas for innovation, design, and marketing to promote responsible stewardship and successful customer relations Offers a great balance between application of the tools/metrics/frameworks and the understanding of the philosophical underpinnings Integrates the various elements of sustainability into a cohesive and systematic methodology that broadens how you will view corporate responsibility and the options available for addressing the pressing sustainability challenges facing our world WAV offers teaching material for adopting professors available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center

MCKINSEY TOP 5 RECOMMENDED READ 'An underground hit' – Best Politics Books, Financial Times 'Jon has one of the few big ideas that's easily applied' – Sam Conniff, Be More Pirate 'A wonderful guide to how to be human in the 21st Century' –  Ece Temelkuran, How to Lose a Country: the Seven Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship Citizens opens up a new way of understanding ourselves and shows us what we must do to survive and thrive as individuals, organisations, and nations. Over the past decade, Jon Alexander’s consultancy, the New Citizenship Project, has helped revitalise some of Britain’s biggest organisations including the Co-op, the Guardian and the National Trust. Here, with the New York Times bestselling writer Ariane Conrad, he shows how history is about to enter age of the Citizen. Because when our institutions treat people as creative, empowered creatures rather than consumers, everything changes. Unleashing the power of everyone equips us to face the challenges of economic insecurity, climate crisis, public health threats, and polarisation.  Citizens is an upbeat handbook, full of insights, clear examples to follow, and inspiring case studies, from the slums of Kenya to the backstreets of Birmingham – and a foreword by Brian Eno. It is the perfect pick-me-up for leaders, founders, elected officials –and citizens everywhere. Organise and seize the future! Reviews 'Society is like an out of control house party – eating, drinking and consuming everything. Jon is the organiser of the campfire gathering behind the party. It’s calm and welcoming and you won’t want to leave. In Citizens, Jon and Ariane show how to leave the burning house of the Consumer Story and join the campfire that is the Citizen Story.' – Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps and founding Chair of National Citizen Service UK 'The belief that every single one of us has both the potential and the desire to make the world better drives me every day, in everything I do. In Citizens, Jon shows how taking that belief as a starting point really could transform our world. This is a truly powerful book, in every sense of the word.' - Josh Babarinde, Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur 'Every great transformation requires a new story. A story that reveals new possibilities and points toward an optimistic alternative to the current situation. Citizens presents just such a story.' – Tim Brown, Chair of IDEO and author of Change By Design 'The shift from consumer to citizen is a truly big idea. If you’re in a position of strategic influence, I strongly recommend you engage with this and consciously explore what it might mean for your organisation.' – Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, Former Director General, National Trust, and Trustee, BBC 'There is such a thing as an idea whose time has come. This is that idea.' – James Perry, Board Member, B Lab Global, and Founding Partner, Snowball Investment Management

'Great stories, great science, and great practical advice about how, when, and why to break the rules' - Angela Duckworth, international bestselling author of Grit.

Do you want to follow a script ― or write your own story?

Award-winning Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino shows us why the most successful among us break the rules, and how rebellion brings joy and meaning into our lives.

Rebels have a bad reputation. We think of them as troublemakers, outcasts, contrarians: those colleagues, friends, and family members who complicate seemingly straightforward decisions, create chaos, and disagree when everyone else is in agreement. But in truth, rebels are also those among us who change the world for the better with their unconventional outlooks. Instead of clinging to what is safe and familiar, and falling back on routines and tradition, rebels defy the status quo. They are masters of innovation and reinvention, and they have a lot to teach us.

Francesca Gino, a behavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business School, has spent more than a decade studying rebels at organizations around the world, from high-end boutiques in Italy’s fashion capital, to the World’s Best Restaurant, to a thriving fast food chain, to an award-winning computer animation studio. In her work, she has identified leaders and employees who exemplify “rebel talent,” and whose examples we can all learn to embrace.

Gino argues that the future belongs to the rebel ― and that there’s a rebel in each of us. We live in turbulent times, when competition is fierce, reputations are easily tarnished on social media, and the world is more divided than ever before. In this cutthroat environment, cultivating rebel talent is what allows businesses to evolve and to prosper. And rebellion has an added benefit beyond the workplace: it leads to a more vital, engaged, and fulfilling life.

Whether you want to inspire others to action, build a business, or build more meaningful relationships, Rebel Talent will show you how to succeed ― by breaking all the rules.

Organise your way to renewed focus and calm Smart Work: How to Increase Productivity, Achieve Balance and Reduce Stress is the busy professional's guide to getting organised in the digital workplace. Are you drowning in constant emails, phone calls, paperwork, interruptions and meeting actions? This book throws you a lifeline. Whether your workforce is in person, hybrid, or remote, Smart Work shows you how to take advantage of your digital tools to reprioritise, refocus and get back to doing what's important. You may already have the latest technology, but if you're still swamped, you're not using it to your advantage. This useful guide shows you how to centralise and organise your workflow for better outcomes. With Smart Work, you'll develop a simple and sustainable productivity system to manage your inputs and realise your goals. Like most professionals, you want to do great work and achieve great things. But when half your day is spent on emails, phone calls and 'extra' duties, you rarely get a chance to shine. This book changes that. Get back in control so you can start performing like a star. Get organised, focused and proactive Conquer the daily incoming deluge Spend more time on the important work Leverage your desktop and mobile technology Optimise your tools for remote and hybrid work When work is coming at you from every direction, it's difficult to focus and prioritise. Things get lost in the shuffle. But when you channel everything into a single stream, you settle into a flow and get more done in less time. Smart Work is your guide to finding your flow--and the bottom of your inbox. This book is part of the Smart Productivity series, helping readers find practical solutions for better managing their time, energy and attention.

Become a mission-focused, people-centric leader. On Mission serves as a resource for personal leadership development, crafted by Sean Georges and John Buford, two former marine officers with a combined 80 years of leadership experience in military, business, non-profit, and education. This book is for those who aspire to lead authentically across the spectrum of their lives by taking responsibility for and committing to their unique learning journey. Using a simple but powerful servant leadership model with a focus on mission, the authors share practical, fundamental, and timeless leadership concepts designed to help readers understand what it means to lead in an authentic way. It is intended to be transformational and personal in nature, written to change the way aspiring leaders understand and approach leading across the spectrum of their own lives and help them answer the key question, ""What is my best and highest role, in support of my teammates, in alignment with our mission?"" They provide readers with the tools and perspective needed to navigate and shape their own unique developmental journey.

How we recruit future healthcare professionals is critically important, as the demand for high quality healthcare increases across the globe. This book questions what the evidence tells us about how best to select those most suited to a career in healthcare, ensuring that the approaches used are relevant and fair to all who apply. The editors of this collection take a comprehensive look at the latest research surrounding recruitment and selection into healthcare roles. Each chapter is authored by leading experts and, using international case material, the practical implications for workforce policy are explored. They review the key stages in designing effective selection systems and discuss how best to evaluate the quality of selection processes. Evidence from role analysis studies as well as the effectiveness of different selection methods including aptitude and situational judgment tests, personality assessment and interviews are examined. Chapters also cover approaches to student selection and recruitment for postgraduate trainees through to senior appointments. Finally they highlight contemporary issues in recruitment, including the use of technology, selecting for values, candidate perceptions, coaching issues and how best to promote diversity and widening access.

As a follow-up to the bestseller Visual Thinking and the second book Visual Doing, the author is releasing two workbooks. These books are great tools to help you kick-start your visual journey and gain the confidence to produce amazing, compelling drawings. The books are crammed with tons of visual exercises, ranging from tracing illustrations to drawing hacks. It will inspire you to design and share your own icons! The Visual Thinking Workbook: Drawing people and interactions, highlights simple ways of drawing people, emotions and interactions. It will hone your drawing skills and give you the confidence to use them in meetings or whenever you want to explain something or visualise a situation.

Let's face it, the collaboration process can be a pain in the neck. The Nimble Collaboration: Fine-Tuning Your Collaboration for Lasting Success, shows collaborations how to become leaner, more responsive, more flexible, and ultimately, more productive. In their bestselling book, Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining, and Enjoying the Journey, Michael Winer and Karen Ray describe how to form a successful collaboration. In The Nimble Collaboration, Ray guides existing partnerships into the next stage: becoming more effective. Part I presents the ""three Rs"" of nimble collaboration: results that are clearly defined, relationships that are deft, and a structure that is resilient. Readers will learn how to determine, describe, and evaluate the specific results everyone wants to achieve—and keep them at the heart of each step they take. The book shows readers how to build trust, reinforce roles, and avoid turf issues and hidden agendas. Part II walks through real-life applications in two typical collaborations: service integration collaborations, and complex problem-solving collaborations. Detailed case studies demonstrate nimbleness in action and give collaborations concrete problem-solving ideas. Throughout the book are samples, examples, and how-tos based on the author's many years of experience consulting with real people in real collaborations across the United States. A special section explains how to write the various documents that bind partners together on paper, including a memo of agreement and a formal governance agreement. Collaborations that involve government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, community-building groups, nonprofits, law enforcement, education, health, housing, arts, social services, business, foundation—you name it—will find hands-on help for making their collaboration satisfying and productive.

A new approach to succeeding in negotiations where failure is not an option, from one of the world's most experienced kidnap for ransom negotiators. Scott Walker has probably one of the most difficult jobs in the world. When pirates have hijacked a ship, when a criminal gang has kidnapped someone, when an entire company's future is being held to ransom from a cyber-attack, Scott is the person who gets called in. He has successfully negotiated more than 300 such incidents using the principles in this book. His methods, centred in empathy, active listening, trust-based influence and emotional control, will help you achieve the outcome you want. Regardless of whether you're an executive in a multi-national organisation, the owner of a small business, a local sports team coach or running the family household, you're negotiating every single day, whether you realise it or not. Learn the skills Scott uses to resolve life or death kidnappings all over the world ­- from the Niger Delta, China and the Philippines to the Middle East, Europe and Latin America - and how to apply them to your own life, at work and at home. Order Out of Chaos provides tools that cut straight to the most effective way of communicating, particularly in times of crisis, change and uncertainty.

While first person interpretation and historic crafts have long been part of the museum world, current movements in the maker movement in libraries and schools have occurred mostly outside of the museum world. Instead, Makerspace in Museums: Hands-On History in Museums and Historic Sites shows the importance of the Maker Movement for museums and historic sites, and presents a roadmap to building, planning, researching, and using a makerspace alongside more traditional museum programming. It calls for a revitalization of living history, which can be done through makerspaces and the maker movement. Highlights include: oWhy museums and makerspaces are a natural fit together oWays to organize and create a makerspace in a museum of any budget oCreating a makerspace and culture of making that is inclusive and for the entirety of the community oStrategies for researching historic making techniques and adapting them to the modern world oCreating meaningful makerspace-centered programming The processes and methods explored in this book will help produce a sustainable makerspace that will help the museum or historic site that adopts it reach new audiences, creating growth and new museums stakeholders. Likewise, through calling for a recalibration of living history through the language of the makerspace, this project calls for new approaches to living history. Thus, it is a call for a disruption to the status quo and a push towards sustainable and meaningful living history.

Il testo fornisce un'attenta disanima delle principali nozioni economiche e giuridiche dei processi di finanza straordinaria e offre un'analisi comparativa delle principali operazioni di fusione ed acquisizione (M&A) rilevate nel 2007 nel nostro paese, con una particolare attenzione ai processi di governance. Il volume propone anche un sintetico modello di valutazione delle operazioni, fruibile sia a livello didattico sia di business. Conclude l'elaborato un'attento glossario tecnico. Prefazione a cura di Monica Ortolani. La postfazione a cura di Emiliano Ippoliti approfondisce tematiche legate ad alcune conseguenze economiche e sociali delle M&A.

Where do most people today turn for leadership? Some examine the world of politics.

Some look for models in the entertainment industry. Many look to the world of
business-to the successful stories of CEOs, management consultants, and
theoreticians with PhDs. However, the truth is that the best source of leadership
teaching today comes not from any of these sources but from the one true source:
the Word of God. The Bible is the greatest source on leadership that has ever been
written.

John Maxwell has spent decades researching and equipping others for leadership, and
his primary source of leadership principles has always been the Word of God. In this
workbook, he explores 21 of the most illuminating issues faced by the men and
women in Scripture. He also shows how some of the characters in the Bible failed to
confront these issues in a godly way, and how that affected them and, in some cases,
entire populations of people groups.

Sessions include in-depth studies on the leadership issues faced by men and women
such as Joseph, Moses, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Ruth, David, Esther, Nehemiah,
Peter, Paul, and especially Jesus.

Each session contains the following sections:

• Definition of the Issue: A brief description of the issue that confronted leaders in the Bible
• Case Studies: three biblical studies on how leaders such as Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Esther, Mary, Paul, and Jesus faced the issued
• Study Questions: reflection and application questions to help you understand how the leaders solved the issue
• Leadership Insights and Taking Action: questions to help you improve your leadership skills and incorporate the studies into your life
• Group Discussion Questions: questions to help you process the Bible study material with other like-minded people who want to grow in leadership

Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's Toolkit explores the application of systems ideas to investigate, evaluate, and intervene in complex and messy situations. The text serves as a field guide, with each chapter representing a method for describing and analyzing; learning about; or changing and managing a challenge or set of problems. The book is the first to cover in detail such a wide range of methods from so many different parts of the systems field. The book's Introduction gives an overview of systems thinking, its origins, and its major subfields. In addition, the introductory text to each of the book's three parts provides background information on the selected methods. Systems Concepts in Action may serve as a workbook, offering a selection of tools that readers can use immediately. The approaches presented can also be investigated more profoundly, using the recommended readings provided. While these methods are not intended to serve as "recipes," they do serve as a menu of options from which to choose. Readers are invited to combine these instruments in a creative manner in order to assemble a mix that is appropriate for their own strategic needs.