Business & Economics Audiobooks

The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable

"“She’d seen it before. The new guy pushes the incumbent hard for a few months, creates problems, and then brings in someone from his old company to replace the failure. Was he there to test her and teach her, or to toss her out at the first sign of trouble?” -from The Offsite Drawing on the leadership theories from the bestselling classic, The Leadership Challenge, Robert Thompson effortlessly incorporates Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner’s time-tested concepts into a winning fable of leadership and growth. This dramatic tale of transition centers on a three-day meeting of two former rival pharmaceutical companies taking the first step towards creating a joint sales strategy. Told through the perspective of participants from both camps, they come to rely on The Five Practices that form the heart of The Leadership Challenge: • MODEL THE WAY • INSPIRE A SHARED VISION • CHALLENGE THE PROCESS • ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT • ECOURAGE THE HEART Exploring the dynamics of a company offsite with humor and insight, Thompson addresses the fears and concerns many participants have, especially around 360-degree feedback, the key component of The Leadership Challenge® model and workshops. An invaluable audio book for anyone planning to attend (or produce) a leadership training retreat, The Offsite also provides a succinct introduction to The Leadership Challenge for professionals, at all levels, who want to hone their leadership skills."

Robert H. Thompson (Author), Sean Pratt, Shannon Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Common Sense on Mutual Funds: Fully Updated 10th Anniversary Edition

"John Bogle—founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group and creator of the first index mutual fund—is an industry pioneer. Over the years, he has single-handedly transformed the mutual fund business, and today, his vision continues to inspire investors. It has been over a decade since the original edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds was first published. While much has changed during this time, the importance of investing and the issues addressed in the original edition of this book have not. Now, in the Fully Updated 10th Anniversary Edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds, Bogle returns to update his in-depth look at mutual funds and the business of investing—helping you navigate through the staggering array of investment options found in today's evolving investment landscape. Timely and timeless, this important audiobook examines the fundamentals of mutual fund investing in turbulent market environments and offers valuable guidance for building an investment portfolio. Along the way, Bogle shows you that simplicity and common sense still trump costly complexity, and that a low cost, broadly diversified portfolio continues to be the best way to build wealth at the lowest cost and risk—and will almost always outperform more expensive, actively managed mutual funds. Throughout, Bogle skillfully presents a platform for intelligent investing as he analyzes costs, exposes tax inefficiencies, and warns of the mutual fund industry's conflicting interests. Emphasizing long-term investing and asset allocation, Bogle offers sensible solutions to the fund selection process and reveals what it will take to make it in today's chaotic market. Securing your financial future has never seemed more difficult, but after listening to this revised and updated edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds, you will become a better investor. From stock and bond funds to global investing and index funds, this audiobook will help you regain your financial footing and make more informed investment decisions."

John C. Bogle (Author), Scott Peterson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Business Model You: A One-Page Method For Reinventing Your Career

"A one-page tool to reinvent yourself and your career The global bestseller Business Model Generation introduced a unique visual way to summarize and creatively brainstorm any business or product idea on a single sheet of paper. Business Model You uses the same powerful one-page tool to teach listeners how to draw 'personal business models,' which reveal new ways their skills can be adapted to the changing needs of the marketplace to reveal new, more satisfying, career and life possibilities. Produced by the same team that created Business Model Generation, this audiobook is based on the Business Model Canvas methodology, which has quickly emerged as the world's leading business model description and innovation technique. This book shows listeners how to: Understand business model thinking and diagram their current personal business model Understand the value of their skills in the marketplace and define their purpose Articulate a vision for change Create a new personal business model harmonized with that vision, and most important, test and implement the new model When you implement the one-page tool from Business Model You, you create a game-changing business model for your life and career."

Timothy Clark (Author), Don Hagen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Building a Small Business that Warren Buffett Would Love

"Every great business—whether it's a popular pizza restaurant or a baby formula maker—is built on the same core fundamentals. Warren Buffett figured out this universal business truth at an early age, and used it to turn an initial investment of $105,000 into a massive $40 billion fortune. Building a Small Business that Warren Buffett Would Love takes this sound investment methodology and adapts it for small business owners looking to build, grow, or improve their own businesses. Taking a long, hard look at Buffett's investment choices, business and investing guru Adam Brownlee identifies the common principles that link the many companies that populate Berkshire Hathaway's impressive portfolio. Highlighting the essentials that make these businesses great—from their strong earnings track records to their ability to successfully raise prices to match inflation—the audiobook presents a road map for transforming your business using the same simple values that define these economic powerhouses. Humorous and accessible, Building a Small Business that Warren Buffett Would Love looks at some of the world's most successful businesses—Coke, Hershey's, McDonald's, and many others—to demonstrate the sound logic and plain-to-see success of Buffett's way of doing business. Packed with essential information for start-ups and existing small businesses looking to take things to the next level, the audiobook includes everything budding entrepreneurs need to know to build fundamentally sound small businesses that will not only survive but thrive in today's uncertain economic climate. Warren Buffett redefined successful investing when he figured out exactly what makes a successful business tick and then put his money into those businesses—and only those businesses. It worked for him, and it can work for you. With this audiobook, you've taken the first step towards creating the kind of small business that not just Buffett, but any intelligent investor, will love."

Adam Brownlee (Author), Walter Dixon (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Die Rätsel des Geldes: Ein ökonomisch-religiöser Traktat

"Schuldner, Gläubiger, Erlös, Kredit, Offenbarungseid, Messe - die zentralen Begriffe der Finanzökonomie sind der religiösen Sphäre entlehnt. Das hat seinen guten Grund. Denn die Wirtschaft ist wie die Religion auf Glauben angewiesen. Geld- und Gottvertrauen sind nächstverwandt. Die unsichtbare Hand Gottes und die invisible Hand des Marktes sind Metaphern, die darauf verweisen wollen, dass es eine höhere Vernunft als die des einzelnen Menschen gibt. Der Vortrag von Jochen Hörisch geht den Verbindungen der religiösen und der ökonomischen Sphäre nach."

Jochen Hörisch (Author), Jochen Hörisch (Narrator)

Audiobook

Beyond the Obvious: Killer Questions That Spark Game-Changing Innovation

"The Killer Questions Your Company Should Be Asking Generating and executing great ideas is the key to staying ahead in a rapidly changing world. It seems so basic. Why is it so hard to actually get right? According to innovation expert Phil McKinney, the real problem is that we're teaching people to ask the wrong questions about their businesses--or none at all. There has to be a better way. In Beyond the Obvious, McKinney will help you use his proven FIRE (Focus, Ideation, Rank, Execution) Method to dig deeper and get back to asking the right questions--the ones all companies must ask to survive. Full of real-world examples, this book will change the way you operate, innovate, and create, and it all begins with battle-tested questions Phil has gathered on note cards throughout his career. Shared for the first time here, these 'Killer Questions' include: - What are the rules and assumptions my industry operates under? What if the opposite were true? - What will be the buying criteria used by my customer in 5 years? - What are my unshakable beliefs about what my customers want? - Who uses my product in ways I never anticipated? These questions will reframe the way you see your products, your customers, and the way the two interact. Whether you're a company of thousands or a lean startup, Beyond the Obvious will give you the skills and easy-to-follow plan you need to make both the revolutionary changes and nuanced tweaks required for success. Praise for Beyond the Obvious 'Human beings are creatures of habit, so getting ourselves and our teams to think beyond the obvious is a challenge we face all the time. Phil McKinney is an innovation expert, and his killer questions and hit-the-spot anecdotes provide a great way to get out in front of opportunities we otherwise won't see.' -- Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and Escape Velocity 'I've always believed that asking the right questions is the essence of design. Phil McKinney proves that point with this wonderful set of killer questions that will jumpstart-or greatly enhance- your innovation efforts.' -- B. Joseph Pine II, co-author, The Experience Economy & Infinite Possibility. 'Product Innovation is a prerequisite to building great brands. Phil's questions are a prerequisite to building innovative products.' -- Satjiv S. Chahil, former global marketing chief, Apple'"

Phil McKinney (Author), Ray Porter (Narrator)

Audiobook

Leading the Pack: Expert Training to Build Relationships and Inspire Followers

"Includes a bonus disc! What do you have in common with West Point graduates, NFL players, and Fortune 500 CEOs? You too can learn effective leadership principles from two New York Times bestselling authors. John C. Maxwell will eloquently guide you on a journey through the five levels of relationships, capped with eight ways you can win with people. Brian Tracy's leadership audio program offers proven ideas and strategies for setting standards of performance in your organization. These programs have been used by major corporations, universities, and hundreds of the fastest growing businesses to inspire and train leaders on essential skills of leadership. Key takeaways include crafting an effective mission, creating relationships with teams, and earning respect within your organization. Develop your leadership effectiveness from the convenience of your car or while you work out with this powerful "must have" series of audios."

Made for Success (Author), Brian Tracy, John C. Maxwell, Larry Iverson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Redesigning Leadership

"When designer and computer scientist John Maeda was tapped to be president of the celebrated Rhode Island School of Design in 2008, he had to learn how to be a leader quickly. He had to transform himself from a tenured professor—with a love of argument for argument’s sake and the freedom to experiment—into the head of a hierarchical organization. The professor is free to speak his mind against “the man.” The college president is “the man.” Maeda has had to teach himself, through trial and error, about leadership. In Redesigning Leadership, he shares his learning process. Maeda, writing as an artist and designer, a technologist, and a professor, discusses intuition and risk-taking, “transparency,” and all the things that a conversation can do that an email can’t. In his transition from MIT to RISD he finds that the most effective way to pull people together is not social networking but free food. Leading a team? The best way for a leader to leverage the collective power of a team is to reveal his or her own humanity. Asked if he has stopped designing, Maeda replied (via Twitter), “I’m designing how to talk about/with/for our #RISD community.” Maeda’s creative nature makes him a different sort of leader—one who prizes experimentation, honest critique, and learning as you go. With Redesigning Leadership, he uses his experience to reveal a new model of leadership for the next generation of leaders."

John Maeda (Author), Kate Rudd, Nick Podehl (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability

"We’ve been told that a vegetarian diet can feed the hungry, honor the animals, and save the planet. Lierre Keith believed in that plant-based diet and spent twenty years as a vegan. But in The Vegetarian Myth, she argues that we’ve been led astray - not by our longings for a just and sustainable world, but by our ignorance. The truth is that agriculture is a relentless assault against the planet, and more of the same won’t save us. In service to annual grains, humans have devastated prairies and forests, driven countless species extinct, altered the climate, and destroyed the topsoil - the basis of life itself. Keith argues that if we are to save this planet, our food must be an act of profound and abiding repair: it must come from inside living communities, not be imposed across them. Part memoir, part nutritional primer, and part political manifesto, The Vegetarian Myth will challenge everything you thought you knew about food politics. 'Lierre Keith’s book is beyond fantastic.' -Dr. Michael Eades, author of Protein Power 'This book saved my life. Not only does The Vegetarian Myth make clear how we should be eating, but also how the dominant food system is killing the planet. This necessary book challenges many of the destructive myths we live by and offers us a way back into our bodies, and back into the fight to save the planet.' -Derrick Jensen, author of Endgame and A Language Older Than Words 'Everyone interested in healthy eating should be grateful to Lierre Keith.' -Sally Fallon Morell, President, The Weston A. Price Foundation 'Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or never gave up meat at all, you will benefit from this author's painful mistakes and her laser-like focus on the path to a sane diet and all that it entails.' -Peter Bane, Permaculture Activist"

Lierre Keith (Author), Joyce Bean (Narrator)

Audiobook

Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life

"What is the secret to lasting as a leader? In the words of Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller, “Our capacity to grow determines our capacity to lead.” Leadership must be a living process, and life means growth. In Great Leaders Grow, a woman named Debbie Brewster becomes a mentor to a young man named Blake, as he embarks on his own career. Together, they explore four ways that leaders must keep growing, both on the job and off. Within their story are valuable lessons for anyone who desires both professional success and personal fulfillment."

Ken Blanchard, Mark Miller (Author), Chris Patton (Narrator)

Audiobook

The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution

"It’s a new era of business and consumerism— and you play a role in defining it Today’s biggest trends—the mobile web, social media, real-time— have produced a new consumer landscape. The End of Business As Usual explores this complex information revolution, how it has changed the future of business, media, and culture, and what you can do about it. Its critical insights include: • Shared experiences are redefining brands in digital consumer landscapes, and astute brands can now also create and steer these experiences • Consumer influence is growing, and businesses can use this to their advantage • Connect with a rising audience (and with audiences of audiences) through new touchpoints between consumers, brands, and new influencers • Create a culture of change to earn trust, influence, and significance among connected customers Rather than disregard these new consumer behaviors, learn from them in order to drive engagement with your stakeholders. Raise the significance of your business and your brand by implementing new ways to connect, learn, and adapt. While other businesses will fall to digital Darwinism, your business will evolve and thrive. This is the end of business as usual and the beginning of a new era of relevance."

Brian Solis (Author), Brian Solis, Sean Pratt (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Little Book Big Profits from Small Stocks + Website: Why You'll Never Buy a Stock Over $10 Again

"The key to building wealth the low-priced stock way Low-priced gems, or what author Hilary Kramer calls 'breakout stocks' come in all kinds of shapes and sizes but they all have three things in common: (1) they are mostly under $10; (2) they are undervalued; and (3) they have specific catalysts in the near future that put them on the threshold of breaking out to much higher prices. In The Little Book of Big Profits from Small Stocks, small stock expert Hilary Kramer looks for stocks with fifty to two hundred percent upside potential! From drug stocks that may have been punished because an FDA approval failed to materialize when Wall Street expected it to, to the overly zealous selling off of Ford, there are many great low-priced stock opportunities. In this Little Book you'll learn: How to identify the low cost stocks that have the potential to yield big profits The most important secret to making money in stock investing Plus, you'll gain instant access to a website with educational videos, interactive tools and stock recommendations The Little Book of Big Profits from Small Stocks explains Kramer's methodology and gives you the ability to analyze the opportunities to pick your own winners."

Hilary Kramer (Author), Walter Dixon (Narrator)

Audiobook