Why is money more valuable than the paper on which it is printed? Monetarists link the value of money to its supply and demand, believing the latter depends on the total value of the commodities it circulates. According to Prabhat Patnaik, this logic is flawed. In his view, in any nonbarter economy, the value we assign to money is determined independently of its supply and demand. Through an original and provocative critique of monetarism, Patnaik advances a revolutionary understanding of macroeconomics that highlights the "propertyist" position of Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes. Unlike the usual division between "classical" economists (e.g., David Ricardo and Marx) and the "marginalists" (e.g., Carl Menger, William Stanley Jevons, and Léon Walras), Patnaik places "monetarists," including Ricardo, on one side, while grouping propertyist writers like Marx, Keynes, and Rosa Luxemburg on the other. This second group subscribes to the idea that the value of money is given from outside the realm of supply and demand, therefore making money a form in which wealth is held. The fact that money is held as wealth in turn gives rise to the possibility of deficiency of aggregate demand under capitalism. It is no accident that this possibility was highlighted by Marx and Keynes while going largely unrecognized by Ricardo and contemporary monetarists. At the same time, Patnaik points to a weakness in the Marx-Keynes tradition namely, its lack of any satisfactory explanation of why the value of money, determined from outside the realm of supply and demand, remains relatively stable over long stretches of time. The answer to this question lies in the fact that capitalism is not a self-contained system but is born from a precapitalist setting with which it interacts and where it creates massive labor reserves that, in turn, impart stability to the value of money. Patnaik's theory of money, then, is also a theory of imperialism, and he concludes with a discussion of the contemporary international monetary system, which he terms the "oil-dollar" standard.

Written by two of the world’s most well-known ROI (Return on Investment) gurus, this guide is indispensable for anyone involved in showing the value of money for projects and programs in governments, non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, and businesses. These range from human capital programs to marketing initiatives, technology implementations, systems integrations, quality and lean processes, public health initiatives, procurement procedures, public relations events, risk management policies, economic development programs, corporate social responsibility projects, public policy programs, branding activities, innovation programs, customer satisfaction projects, and everything in between. In a step-by-step process, the book shows how to measure the success of projects and programs, including measuring impact and ROI (Return on Investment). This book also shows how to forecast the value of the project in advance and how to collect data during and after project implementation. It addresses improvements throughout the process so that the project delivers optimum value. In addition to businesses, this book is appropriate for governments, NGOs, nonprofits, universities and healthcare organizations. As a reference for those who are seeking ways to assign value to what they have measured, the book will clarify and resolve much of the mystery surrounding the conversion of data to monetary values. Building on a tremendous amount of experience, application, practice, and research, the book will be based on the work of many individuals and organizations, particularly those who have been reaching the ultimate levels of accountability using the ROI Methodology. Developed in an easy-to-read format and fortified with examples, tips, and checklists, this will be an indispensable guide for those who seek to understand accountability issues.

What is money and how does it acquire its value? How do we assign a measurable monetary value to human goods that do not seem quantifiable? What role does money play in the structure of society? Is money an illusion or is it real? Despite the enormous impact of money on the structure of human society, as well as its effect on our daily decision-making, surprisingly little philosophical work has been done on money to date. This book examines the metaphysical foundations of money as well as the power structures that characterize the world of finance, connecting the ontology of money to considerations about inequality and other real-life issues. By throwing light on the metaphysical structure of money and financial value, Eyja M. Brynjarsdóttir seeks to further the philosophical discussion of money and contribute to a broader critique of the monetary system.

Life is treasured in minutes, hours, days, months, and years. In The Time Value of Life, author Tisa L. Silver shares how a simple decision-making rule used in nance can be applied to making decisions in other areas of lifeespecially how to wisely use the time youve been given on earth. A student-turned-professor of nance, Silver introduces the Time Value of Money (TVM) model. She uses hypothetical and real-life examples to show why time should be treated as a valuable gift and demonstrates the parallels between nance and life and between money and time. Silver advocates taking the following steps: Recognize time is a limited resource. Diversify investments. Respect time. Believe in your investments. Make collaborative investments. Understand good investments pay o. Realize the past doesnt dictate the future. Know that your future value depends on your inputs. The Time Value of Life communicates that time is more valuable than money because the value of your life depends on what you do with your time. Stop spending time; start investing it. By being careful about the way you invest your time now, you can enjoy the rewards later.

If you want to convince your organization to conduct a web performance upgrade, this concise book will strengthen your case. Drawing upon her many years of web performance research, author Tammy Everts uses cases studies and other data to explain how web page speed and availability affect a host of business metrics. You’ll also learn how our human neurological need for quick, uncomplicated processes drives these metrics. Ideal for managers, this book’s case studies demonstrate how Walmart, Staples.com, Mozilla, and other organizations significantly improved conversion rates through simple upgrades. Find out why happy customers return, while frustrated users can send your metrics—and your domain—into a tailspin. You’ll explore: What happens neurologically when people encounter slow or interrupted processes How page speed affects metrics in retail and other industries, from media sites to SaaS providers Why internal applications are often slower than consumer apps, and how this hurts employee morale and productivity Common performance problems and the various technologies created to fight them How to pioneer new metrics, and create an organizational culture of performance