This book examines the relationships among leadership, the quality of the management process and business results. Drawing from the pioneering contributions of Chester I. Barnard, this book defines the role and characteristics of an effective and efficient manager in the new knowledge economy. This book also examines the relevance of Barnard’s work on modern studies in economics and business administration. Chester I. Barnard considered the company to be a complex socio-economic system, oriented towards general aims. A company’s behavior is rational if its constituent elements and management models are planned, organized, guided and regulated in order to create and maintain a cooperative system that combines efficiency and effectiveness. In this book, the conceptual construction of Barnard’s management theory is represented by a synthetic scheme in which the various components of the business process (including leadership) and their influences on the outcome variables of the company are linked as a system. This approach makes this book appealing to academics, scholars and professionals in business, management, administration and knowledge management.

This book aims at investigating from the perspective of the major economic dictionaries the notions of economic crisis and cycle. The project consists in giving an extensive summary of a number of significant entries on this subject, with an introductory essay to each entry placing them (and the dictionary to which they belong) in their context, giving some details on the author of the dictionary entry, and assessing the entry’s (and its author’s) contribution. The broad picture (including the history of these encyclopedic tools) will be examined in the introductory essays.

This is the first of its kind in its topical coverage of the developments and prospects of Islamic finance education at Western higher education. Intended to establish itself as a unique reference for academics and researchers this book gives an insight into ethics and values in curricula development at business schools and in finance departments.

Corporate Management in a Knowledge-Based Economy traces the evolution of corporate governance over time, with a particular focus on the changing nature of power. The control of scarce resources used in production materials, labour and capital has evolved considerably over the past centuries, with government, landowners, non-owner managers, and institutional investors acting as controlling powers at different points in time. In order to appropriately protect the various, and changing, stakeholders, the system of corporate governance has also developed over the years a process that continues to the present. In today's knowledge-based economy, with the rising importance of intangible assets, a new corporate management paradigm is needed. This book incorporates theoretical work as well as practical applications to analyse these developments and explore emerging trends of the 21st century. It examines how the pursuit of profit maximization has resulted in governance failures and it focuses on the prospective role of business ethics (once again in the spotlight following the credit crisis) in helping reform flawed governance structures. It argues that, in the long term, a system based on ethics can maximize social responsibility, customer satisfaction, human capital development and economic targets.

A collection of papers dicussing unknowledge and choice in economics. The topics focus especially on G.L.S.Shackle's theories and his place in subjectivist thought but also include time, choice and dynamics in economics and interest rates and investment decisions.

With contributions by J.N. Bremmer, J. Carlsen, D.P. Kehoe, L. De ligt, E. Lo Cascio, F.J.A.M. Meijer, H.W. Pleket, D. Rathbone, P. Rosafio, H. Sancisi-Weerdenburg, H.W. Singor, W. Scheidel, R.J. v.d. Spek, H.C. Teitler, H.S. Versnel, H.T. Wallinga, D. Yntema.

The aim of this book is twofold: Firstly to focus on the development of new instruments and topics in the financial industry. Secondly to analyze the development of “old” themes applied to different international contexts, such as cross-border banking and the role of government financial resources in China. With these goals in mind, the book explores the investigation of new instruments for the financing of SMEs and new ventures, such as mini bonds and equity crowdfunding. Additionally, it covers the field of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility including financial inclusion, gender roles, disclosure, social media roles and litigation. The book also investigates the choices followed by the Royal Swedish Academy in the selection of Nobel laureates in economics science to analyze their influence on the financial industry. Geared to banking academics, researchers and students, this book uncovers the most prominent issues within the banking industry today.

La trama del libro Con questo libro, l’autore, partendo dal paradigma dei sistemi complessi , la cui struttura è qualcosa di molto diversa nonché superiore alla semplice somma delle singoli parti che li compongono, cerca di unire gli Uomini, tra loro e con la Natura, in un unico progetto di speranza e ottimismo. Benché, in relazione alla sua professione di Medico, egli estende detto paradigma soprattutto al campo della Medicina, vi sono tuttavia dei collegamenti anche con altre discipline umanistiche e con le varie vicende umane e istituzionali, al fi ne di indurre, con le idee che propone, attività e comportamenti verso il cosiddetto “Bene comune”. Non a caso come copertina ha scelto la foto di un’alba estiva - quella di Ponza, la sua isola nativa - come simbolo di nascita di un nuovo e radioso giorno. La motivazione del titolo, “Le ragioni dell’Essere”, può essere riassunta in queste frasi che si trovano all’ultimo capitolo del libro: “Siamo immersi in un più ampio progetto a più dimensioni le quali ci condizionano per un fi ne più grande della nostra umana comprensione. Esiste probabilmente una legge, un linguaggio misterioso, un progetto da compiere, per l’organismo e per la Vita in genere. Un disegno che guida gli eventi anche attraverso le generazioni, come se oltre l’ereditarietà genetica ce ne fosse una di tipo morale, una specie di nemesi,( giustizia compensatrice o giustizia divina) che si attiva e si collega a chissà quale strano meccanismo che poi giudica e sentenzia, secondo l’ordine morale delle cose”. Inoltre, per rendere la lettura più piacevole, il libro è stato arricchito con diverse citazioni e poesie. La foto della copertina e’ stata gentilmente off erta da Gennaro Mazzella da Ponza.