Kirjahaku

Why some people are rich and others poor can be explained in a number of ways. Income and Wealth focuses on who gets what and why. It explains the dynamics of income generation, how it is measured, and how such dramatic disparities in distribution come about. The book first defines various characteristics of income, with an emphasis on the gap between the rich and the poor, and reviews several theories to explain the disparities. Subsequent chapters discuss such timely topics as the vanishing middle class and the sky-high salaries of CEOs, Hollywood stars, and athletes. The final chapters consider the implications of policies, such as the minimum wage, taxes, immigration, and trade quotas, and expand the discussion to consider international comparisons. Featuring graphs and charts, a glossary of key terms, and a listing of references and resources, Income and Wealth explains the intricate, and often controversial, effects of economic policies on individuals, families, and communities. Moreover, it shows how the numbers can be manipulated by policymakers, pundits, journalists, and academics to promote various agendas—and shows readers how to recognize hyberbole and make better-informed decisions.

Students from all engineering disciplines, as well as professional engineers, need to understand company finance in order to work effectively within commercial organisations. Corporate finance is therefore an essential aspect of the education of every engineer. Written by an engineer, this innovative book provides a course in company finance, illustrated with numerous case studies of well-known engineering companies - including Rolls Royce, ICI, British Aerospace, Ferranti, Ford, Glaxo, GEC, British Steel, PowerGen and others. General principles are related to the affairs of specific companies, thus giving an effective overview for the busy engineer.

Students from all engineering disciplines, as well as professional engineers, need to understand company finance in order to work effectively within commercial organisations. Corporate finance is therefore an essential aspect of the education of every engineer. Written by an engineer, this innovative book provides a course in company finance, illustrated with numerous case studies of well-known engineering companies - including Rolls Royce, ICI, British Aerospace, Ferranti, Ford, Glaxo, GEC, British Steel, PowerGen and others. General principles are related to the affairs of specific companies, thus giving an effective overview for the busy engineer.

If there is a thin divide between brilliance and madness, who is to judge our sanity? Alan Reynolds follows up the five-star rated Flying with Kites with a gripping psychological thriller, Taskers End. The story opens with three criminal psychiatrists reviewing the case-notes and background history of Gerald Perry, a wealthy former forensic science student and diagnosed schizophrenic. We learn about his tragic up-bringing and the incident that lead to him being interned to a mental institution indefinitely. When the decision is eventually made to release him, Gerald assumes a new identity and returns to his family home, Taskers End where he had been brought up by his beloved grand-parents. He soon discovers that in his absence they had died in mysterious circumstances and, using his forensic skills, starts his own investigation with devastating consequences. Then there is the beautiful Maureen...For everyone who becomes involved with Gerald Perry life will never be the same again.

In his latest novel, Alan Reynolds has blown the lid off the culture and practices in British Banking that led to the financial crisis of 2008. The book is set in a fictional Bank in 1997 and follows the exploits of Martin Brazier the manager of a branch in the North of England. We learn at first hand about the pressures exerted by the bullying Regional Director and his relentless drive to achieve targets. The rewards for success are lavish with bonuses and incentive trips; the punishment for failure, humiliation and shame. The resulting behaviours - hedonism, greed and dishonesty are played out in a fast moving thriller which will have readers on the edge of their seats as the story unfolds. Some in the banking community could well recognise themselves as this work of fiction comes daringly close to the truth.

There is nothing as tragic as man's inhumanity to man; what triggers such hatred that some are prepared to give up their own existence to destroy another's way of life? In his latest action-packed thriller Alan Reynolds explores the conditioning of the jihadists as we follow a young Iraqi, Tariq and his quest for revenge and martyrdom. We also learn about the SAS soldier who has to live with the consequences of war and his own demons of conflict. He attains an odd solace in the isolation of working on a North Sea Oil Rig but, in an almost impossible coincidence, these two worlds collide with explosive results.

The worst decisions are sometimes made with the best of intentions, a simple error of judgement which unleashes a catalogue of life-changing events. Keith Woodley, owner of a struggling coach business decides to treat his wife to a new coat and a night out for her special birthday. When she returns home with the wrong coat Keith finds in the pocket a key to a left-luggage locker. Thinking it might contain money he so badly needs to save his business he decides to track down the locker. He was not prepared for the consequences. Keith suddenly finds himself embroiled in a world of people trafficking and gang warfare. How can he extract himself from a living nightmare that gets more dangerous by the minute? From the award winning author of Flying With Kites comes a novel that will have readers urgently turning pages as the story of this fast moving thriller evolves.

The Valley of the Serpent is another sweeping thriller by Alan Reynolds, taking the reader on a roller-coaster journey through the Derbyshire Peak District in the UK, through Switzerland, France and The Northern Territories of Australia.Young Geologist, Harry Bentham is head-hunted by an unscrupulous mining firm who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Events gradually unfold which lead Harry to question the ethics of the company for whom he is working and their methods in obtaining mining licenses. His actions put him and those around him in grave danger as the consequences of those actions descend rapidly into a question of survival.

In this sequel to the acclaimed novel and Wishing-Shelf Awards finalist, The Sixth Pillar, we again follow the exploits of former SAS officer Rory Calderwood, as he tries to rebuild his life following his time on the North Sea Gas rig. He has now relocated to a seemingly more tranquil area, but an act of extreme bravery leads to a chance meeting with the managing director of a company involved in making weaponry. Rory is soon hired as a security consultant, his key role, to protect them from industrial espionage. The company's latest invention, under the code-name 'Hades', will change modern warfare and there are numerous countries and agencies anxious to get their hands on the plans. What follows is a dramatic account of Calderwood's attempt to protect his employers, the story weaving from the backstreets of Birmingham to the warring factions of the Middle East. Then there is Natalie, the mysterious international lawyer from Estonia recently employed by the company; where does she fit in, in all the mayhem? Is she really what she seems or a smokescreen? Whatever you do, do not miss the exciting climax that will have readers flipping the pages to reach the conclusion.

Sarah decides to find a partner using an on-line dating website. After rejecting eleven potential suitors, she reads the profile of Jez Steadman and believes he has possibilities - good looking, intelligent and solvent. The signs are promising and Sarah believes she has made a good choice... then his behaviour becomes more and more obsessive.

April 2006, the height of the Iranian nuclear crisis. The Iranian secret police, with its thirty thousand agents, spies and informants, are everywhere. Relations between Iran and most of the rest of world are low; the Americans, with their itchy trigger fingers, are unpredictable. Against this backdrop, a cleaner at the British Embassy compound slips a piece of paper to the wife of the Cultural Attache. The cleaner's husband is one of Iran's leading nuclear scientists and he wants to defect to the UK. The message reaches MI6 headquarters in London; urgent high-level meetings take place. Is it authentic or are the Iranians playing games? Is it even feasible? Agent Nick Houghton is sent to Tehran to investigate.A nail-biting thriller which will have readers flicking through the pages as the story reaches its gripping conclusion.

From the horrors of war in Yugoslavia to life on a Newcastle council estate in the north of England, the tremendous pace of Flying with Kites will take your breath away. Katya Gjikolli is bent on her own and her son's survival in a world gone mad. Her husband may have been caught by the Serbs, he may be imprisoned, tortured or even dead.She eventually escapes on a refugee flight to the UK. She finds herself housed with another Kosovan refugee in a high-rise flat in a depressed area of Newcastle in the north of England. She begins her new life, finding new friends and a new love. One woman's struggle to survive leads to new friends who live on the edge of the law.There's Bigsy who will to do anything to make money, strictly for cash. Chirpy and Wazza make up the colourful trio who aid Bigsy in delivering drugs to the clubs in Newcastle for Everton Sheedie, a dealer with roots in Brixton. Carol, Bigsy's wife, dishes out 'favours' to him dependent on how well he behaves and how much money he gives her to spend. Polly is an art student with a talent for flying kites, as well as an eye for a good photograph and for Katya.Other characters are peppered throughout the novel providing colour and depth making this a terrific read. It has tragedy. It has comedy. It has got sex and violence. It's also got tenderness so well written that it will bring a tear to the eye.

It seemed like another routine morning for Courtney Kline, chief reporter at the Eastport Echo. Then she opened an email sent from the chair of the anglers association. He said he had evidence that something was killing the fish in the local river but that no one would listen to him. Another riveting read from this award-winning writer.

The Last Poppy completes the Marsden trilogy of books, following The Baker's Story and Arthur's War.The date is 1915 and the now global conflict has had a considerable impact on the family. The story continues to reflect the war overseas in Northern France and in the Middle East as the fortunes of the Marsden family and their immediate friends are played out against a backdrop of huge social and military challenges. In this gripping finale, we also learn of the psychological impact of war and the disturbing efforts of the medical fraternity to solve it.The book concludes on armistice day 1918, read how the experiences of four years of war have changed the family forever.

Award-winning author, Alan Reynolds' first supernatural thriller. Barrister Liam Drake, his physiotherapist wife, Jo, and their two young children, embark on their annual three-week summer holiday. Needing a complete break, they choose a charming cottage in a remote Cornish village. Only after they arrive do they find out that the cottage was the scene of a brutal murder just a few months earlier. It is clear something is not right. Villagers believe the cottage is cursed, others that it is haunted. The family soon discover that both descriptions are accurate as it becomes a battle for their survival.A fast-moving page-turner that will have readers holding their breath.'A suspense-filled supernatural thriller with a strong cast of characters.' The Wishing Shelf Awards

The Marsden Family drama moves to 1939 and the next generation Intertwined with historical events, we experience the social climate in the country, as it moves closer to war, as seen through the eyes of the various members of the family. Using extensive research, award-winning author, Alan Reynolds, brings the past to life at a pivotal time in English history in a compelling novel. The increasing threat from Hitler, and the British Government’s attempt at appeasement; the IRA bombing campaign, and the efforts of the British Secret Service to thwart their aims, are among the key events which shaped the world in these very uncertain times. …But not everyone will see the outbreak of hostilities.

A favour becomes a debt if there is an expectation of its returnIt's Millenium Eve and, in the middle of the New Year celebrations, Bigsy Worrel is disturbed by a phone call; a voice from the past he had hoped not to hear from again. Erroll Sheedie, a London-based drug baron, whose brother had been murdered in a gangland hit six months earlier, needs a meet. What follows is a gripping story as Bigsy is obliged to repay a favour; it is an obligation too dangerous to try to avoid.Through the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning crime novel Flying With Kites, we also learn the fate of Katya Gjikolli, the Kosovan refugee, who had been housed in a Gateshead tower block following her harrowing escape from war-torn Kosovo.Described by the Wishing Shelf Awards as 'a gritty thriller', this is a fast-paced drama set in Kosovo and Gateshead.Readers are guaranteed to turn the pages to see what happens next.