Collected Papers of the International interdisciplinary conference ‘‘Real Life and the Real Economics’’ There are many insoluble paradoxes in the advanced and technologically driven 21st century. One of these cornerstone mysteries is the factual history of business, economics, and even day-to-day technologies. If it is considered that ''money rules the world,'' then why, is it the case, there is no single reasonable idea, how and where money came from? What was the progression of metamorphosis and transformations that allowed impersonal pieces of paper and electronic signals to become today the central exchange equivalent? There is no history of business, history of economy or history of human civilization. These categories simply do not exist as a reflection of scientifically established knowledge of laws. Many researchers, treading the pathway of obstacles derived from false data, simply give up in hopelessness. ''Business is business!'' is the verdict—a multifaceted conclusion and restless justification of why some suffer severe punishment for things that are authorized to others. These phenomena, these elements of our lives, did not arise ''on their own.'' Everything has its history, its consistent tendency and its course of evolution. Business and its configuration were developed, designed, and commissioned by some on a global level. Who, in this case, is more competent to answer recurring questions about the true essence of business and economy? Certainly, immediate ''architects'' or creators. Unfortunately, the beginning and escalation of business took place several centuries ago, and it is not possible to find an architect and address to him any articulate questions. Nevertheless, we can bring together leading scholars, experts and practitioners from different fields of science and other spheres who have dedicated their professional activities to solving concrete business problems and untangling the oxymorons prevalent in the field. The International Interdisciplinary Conference "Real Life and Real Economics", united leading scholars, experts, practitioners, financial journalists and thinkers for the discussion on 6 different online panels, where the following questions were discussed: 1) History of business, technological history of our civilization, contradictions, distortions and invented stories. 2) Self-deception as the foundation of the modern world in Baudrillard's philosophy. 3) Origins of business consultants and the security field. 4) "Business heroes" of different times. 5) Origins of business construction elements (human resources, marketing, etc.) 6) People and consumer society (Baudrillard), the place of a person in consumer society. 7) Examples of contradictions in the history of business and technological history. 8) What is the formula of a business? (Which sciences compose it). 9) Where we are at? Who controls the rate of change in industries? 10) How long will consumer society last? Could the ongoing consequences of the pandemic cease its existence? 11) Modern science and pre-modern science. Why are scholars of the XVI-XIX centuries no less inferior but in many ways superior to modern scholars? How do we explain this? 12) What is the mystery of the scientific origins of economics and business.

The award-winning The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition is now available as a dynamic online resource. Consisting of over 1,900 articles written by leading figures in the field including Nobel prize winners, this is the definitive scholarly reference work for a new generation of economists. Regularly updated! This product is a subscription based product.

Value aggregation to goods and services is unbelievably important to the balance of trade of modern nations, yet it receives minute attention by economists and policy-makers alike. In Competitiveness in the Real Economy, Rui Vinhas da Silva shows that the nature and dynamics of contemporary global competition requires a sharper focus on value aggregation. He provides a rounded, integrative and multi-disciplinary perspective linking national competitiveness, economics and management. The emphasis is on a transversal philosophy of value aggregation as a key driver of national competitiveness across sectors in the real economy and from production to the consumption of goods and services. The links between exports, inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) and country competitiveness are examined along with the role of exports and the attraction of FDI inflows in building national GDP. The author emphasises that culture, the notion of being cosmopolitan and understanding aspirational and discriminatory consumers with high disposable income are key drivers of success in the global economy. Acknowledging that the complexity of problems comes from diversity of global actors, the author highlights the limitations of current economics in responding to contemporary challenges. His concern about the management sciences and management learning is that solutions do not lie in the formulation and prescription of universal laws, but are contextually-laden and derive from an informed intuition that is partly taught and partly experiential. The book addresses the implications of all this for how the management skills needed for competitive advantage might best be developed.

This book seeks to give a coherent account of Gandhi's basic ideas, demonstrating the importance of Hindu thought and the centrality of his concept of Truth.

Backhouse (history and philosophy of economics, U. of Birmingham, England) believes in truth and progress, but defends them against postmodern skepticism by using some of the same sources it does rather than trying to return to a pre-lapsarian state. He concludes by doubting the success of the conventional division of labor in which economic theorists transmute general assumptions into hypotheses to be tested, and econometricians test those theories statistically and establish empirical generalizations. Those two functions, he says, must interact on a much more intimate level. Some of the material is revised from previous publication. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book exposes the truths regarding education and economics so that every individual can understand the negative ramifications of implementing policies and practices based on educational and economic falsehoods.

This book compares the approaches of consultants and academic advisers and provides an in-depth analysis of their advice argumentation. Both compete on the market for economic advice, with consultants enjoying a larger market share and usually obtaining higher fees. However, academics criticize them for overcharging, shallowness, and quick-and-dirty methods. So, are consultants clients misled or even cheated? Not necessarily. The book reveals that academics have drawbacks as well; their arguments are less balanced than those of consultants and their estimates contradict each other more. Economic Advice and Rhetoric argues that clients should be cautious, challenging academics to reconsider their understanding of consulting practices. Onno Bouwmeester illustrates that the instrumental concept of academic advice as assumed by mainstream economists and policy scientists does not guide the practice of academic advisers and thus creates wrong expectations. He deconstructs the current understanding of academic advice, and counters the view held by critical academics that consultants rhetoric is misleading by comparing it to the rhetoric of academics. This rhetorical analysis will be informative to academics and advisors with an interest in the subject of consulting. Students aiming to become consultants, as well as consultants who want to learn more about academic advisers as their competitors, will also find this book an invaluable resource.