Gines de Rus incorporates the latest thinking on issues such as the treatment of risk and uncertainty, and the importance of institutional arrangements in ensuring the correct use of the technique. These issues are blended seamlessly into the relevant case studies, rather than treated as optional extras, as in some texts. The case studies themselves are at the centre of current debate and controversy, including the need for high-speed rail lines and the case for the privatization of water supply.Introduction to Cost-Benefit Analysis is intended as a graduate and advanced undergraduate textbook. Nevertheless, economists and other practitioners involved in the economic evaluation of projects will also find the book extremely useful.

If you are a HR/line manager or seeking flexible working and wanting guidance on what to expect, this book is for you. The book covers: descriptions and suitability of the main types of flexible working; the legal implications; the procedure for requests,consideration and responses and permitted reasons for refusal; and, advice on adopting a flexible working policy and putting it into practice. In the Speed Read series: this book is affordable and concise. It includes top tips, real life examples from voluntary organisations, checklists to help decide on a suitable policy and clear pointers to other sources of information.

The phenomenon of aging results from the transition from a demographic model whose birth and mortality rates are exceptionally high to another model in which both demographic factors are increasingly lower. Today's organizations will encounter issues related to the aging of their workforce. It is necessary to consider and implement new strategies through age management that can contribute to society at various phases of life. Examining the Aging Workforce and Its Impact on Economic and Social Development builds on existing literature in the field of the aging workforce for the economic and social development of countries while providing additional research opportunities in this dynamic and growing field. This book reflects on this critical issue, increasing the understanding of the importance of the aging workforce in the context of the business and management area, and providing relevant academic work, empirical research findings, and an overview of this relevant field of study. Covering topics such as hiring practices, workplace age diversity, and retention practices, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for government officials, business leaders, human resource managers, sociologists, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

"Read even the first chapter of this extraordinary book and you'll find yourself cheering, screaming, jumping up and down with excitement. The companies described in this book are decades ahead of the reengineers -- and you don't need to be a Bill Gates or a Jack Welch to put their ideas into practice today." -- George Gendron, editor in chief, Inc.

"Companies that practice open-book management seem to have captured some sort of lightning in a bottle." -- Chris Lee, Training

"This book should be required reading in corporate America." -- Chicago Tribune

"If you want to give your preconceived notions a good kick in the you-know-where, give Case the opportunity to articulate the merits of open-book management." -- Entrepreneur

Open-book management is not so much a technique as a way of thinking, a process that actively involves employees in the financial life of the company. Numerous companies have already found that employees who are informed and aware of the company's financial situation are motivated to seek solutions to problems and assume a greater degree of responsibility for its performance. John Case begins by examining the current competitive climate and the history of established management techniques. He shows how the traditional treatment of workers as "hired hands" with little involvement or responsibility beyond their own area is no longer effective in today's ever more competitive global environment.

Case clearly and carefully explains the principles of open-book management: timely sharing of crucial financial information with employees; educating the employees to understand and apply the information; empowering employees to apply the information to their own work; and offering employees a stake in the successful implementation of their ideas. Open-book management will take different forms at every company, Case notes, but he offers a wide range of suggestions and guidelines for implementing these principles. He concludes with a series of in-depth case studies, featuring companies of various sizes and financial situations that have successfully implemented open-book management. Open-Book Management is the indispensable guide to teaching employees how to think and act like owners.

Management of Human Resources: A Student-Centered Approach is designed to change the way in which students view the field of human resources and to provide them with an engaging and interactive learning experience. Each topic within the text is presented in an historical, psychological, or organizational context. The book features coverage on the strategic selection of employees, equal employment opportunity issues, training employees, compensating employees, employee benefits, motivating employees, employee performance evaluations, and organizational change. Students are guided through an interactive learning process that systematically builds the reader's knowledge and expertise. The text employs examples, applications, and interactive problem-solving opportunities that enrich the learning experience and challenge students to develop a practical system of problem recognition, assessment, and solution development. Management of Human Resources is an ideal textbook for courses in organizational development and human resource management. In addition, each chapter can be used as a training resource in a business setting for human resource personnel.

Compiling extensive research findings with real insights from the business world, this must-read book on performance appraisal explores its evolution from the classic appraisal to its current form, and the methodology behind its progression. Looking forward, Aharon Tziner and Edna Rabenu emphasize that well-conducted appraisals combine a mixture of classic and current, and are here to stay. The book first presents a primer to performance appraisals, covering the role of management, the appraisers, and external and political influences. The authors then present ways to improve the appraisal system through training, methodology and diversification. Consequently, they outline the key questions and opportunities facing the research and business communities, including the rapidly developing technological and democratic workforce. In particular, the authors highlight the need for the creation of a ''climate of performance'' and innovation in research, for the betterment of both the individual employee and society as a whole. Improving Performance Appraisal at Work is a comprehensive guide for researchers in business and management, human resource management and organizational behavior. The authors cover an extensive array of issues relating to the role of employee performance appraisal, making this book an excellent advisory text for those in professional human resource roles.

Applying a comparative analysis on law and practices, combined with extensive data, this book considers the legal consequences for public servants who make unauthorised disclosures of official information and the protections available for whistleblowers. The author provides an in-depth treatment of the law of unauthorised disclosures in the UK to explore the protections available and discusses the theoretical and legal justifications for the making of disclosures, as well as the arguments for maintaining official secrecy. The book discusses the legal consequences of leaking information and a full assessment of the authorised alternatives, providing recommendations for reform throughout. This book will be of interest to academics working on whistleblowing, as well as their students. The various recommendations provided in the book will be of use to whistleblowing NGOs, policymakers and Members of Parliament.

This book examines an interdependent approach to happiness and well-being, one that contrasts starkly with dominant approaches that have originated from Western culture(s). It highlights the diversity of potential pathways towards happiness and well-being globally, and answers calls - voiced in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals - for more socially and environmentally sustainable models. Leading global organizations including the OECD, UNICEF, and UNESCO are now proposing human happiness and well-being as a more sustainable alternative to a myopic focus on GDP growth. Yet, the definition of well-being offered by these organizations derives largely from the philosophies, social sciences, and institutional patterns of Europe and the United States. Across seven chapters this book carefully probes the inadequacy of these approaches to well-being globally and reveals the distorting effect this has on how we imagine our world, organize institutions, and plan our collective future(s). It shares a wealth of evidence and examples from across East Asia - a region where interdependence remains foregrounded - and concludes by provocatively arguing that interdependence may provide a more sustainable approach to happiness and well-being in the 21st century. A timely and accessible book, it offers fresh insights for scholars and policymakers working in the areas of psychology, health, sociology, education, international development, public policy, and philosophy. This is an open access book.