Connecting fundamental, theoretical, and empirical subjects with the most current scholarship on value, money, profit and capital today, this book makes sense of our increasingly interconnected global economy, highlighting key issues and proposing real-world solutions from the most knowledgeable researchers in the field.

The measurement methods used in financial accounting affect our perception of the value and performance of businesses by determining the amount of reported profit or loss and the resources of the business. Thus, measurement affects shareholders and other stakeholders in the business. It has even been suggested that the world financial crisis of 2007–2010 was partly due to the mis-measurement of financial instruments. In this book, Geoffrey Whittington provides a unique survey of the theory and practice of measurement in financial accounts. It seeks to define and illustrate alternative methods, using simple numerical examples, and to analyse their theoretical properties. Also, it summarises extensive empirical evidence and the historical development of ideas and practice. It is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying financial accounting, as well as practitioners and policy-makers concerned with accounting standards.

In the most complete, accurate and accessible presentation of Karl Marx’s theory of capitalism to date, Johan Fornäs presents a guide for anyone who wants to understand how today’s crisis-ridden society has emerged and is able to sustain and intensify its own deep inner contradictions. Capitalism clearly explains these contradictions, which are so relevant again today in the wake of the financial crisis. This clear and engaging guide explains capitalism for absolute beginners. Fornäs situates Marx’s ideas in context, remaining faithful to the concepts and structure of his work. This complete introduction to Marx’s economy critique covers all three volumes of Capital. It explores all the main aspects of Marx’s work – including his economic theory, his philosophical sophistication and his political critique – introducing the reader to Marx’s typical blend of sharp arguments, ruthless social reportage and utopian visions. This book will be of interest to students throughout the social sciences and humanities, including those studying sociology, social theory, economics, business studies, history, cultural studies, and politics.

This textbook offers a comprehensive guide to the systematic structure of capitalism, while at the same time introducing readers to all three volumes of Marx’s Capital. Based on his extensive expertise on Marx’s critique of political economy, the author reveals the specific structure of production in capitalist societies and explicates what sets this system apart from other modes of production. Marx’s political economy is explained in a systematic and easy-to-understand manner, using numerous illustrative diagrams to complement the text. This textbook will appeal to all students and scholars looking for a more comprehensive, systematic and theoretical explanation of capitalism, equipping them with a solid theoretical understanding of its core structure.

Complying with environmental protection laws need not punch a hole in a firm's bottom line. Smith shows that compliance can be profitable. He provides corporate executives with easily accessed data and analyses of the theory of environmental management systems (EMS), and in doing so covers the major environmental concerns worrying corporate America. The result is a practical guide to the tools of environmental management and how they can be used to enhance a corporation's profitability while at the same time reducing its impact on the environment and consequent financial liabilities. Readers will find ways to tailor an appropriate strategy to their specific business needs, justify that strategy financially, and integrate the EMS into an existing business plan. Smith takes the reader through all of the environmental factors that affect profits and productivity. He demonstrates the practicality of not only considering the life cycle of a single product or service, but also the impact of life cycles throughout the entire company. A degree in environmental science is not needed to follow Smith's reasoning and advice, but solid business knowledge ^Iis^R important. Smith provides all of the background needed to start an EMS program, the benefits of which are limited only by management's priorities and the creativity of a company's people.

Transcending the arid formalism of present-day economic theory, Frontiers of Political Economy develops a new and accessible perspective on the world economy. Guglielmo Carchedi identifies and analyses three key features of modern capitalism: the rapidly increasing share of human labour needed for the advancement of science and technology rather than for the production of goods; the global, rather than national, nature of production, distribution and consumption; and the dominance of the oligopolies. This analysis enables Carchedi to explore new theoretical frontiers: from an original theory of mental and material labour to an investigation of the conditions under which mental labour produces value; from an assessment of the class structure of modern capitalism to an appraisal of the social content of science and technology; from an alternative account of crises, inflation and stagflation to a study of their relation to the destruction of value and to arms production. He also cast fresh light on a number of basic contemporary issues—including the present financial and monetary crisis—and surveys the most important recent controversies in language accessible to non-specialists. Rigorous and wide-ranging, but written with great lucidity, Frontiers of Political Economy is an essential book for both specialists and students in economics and politics.