In explaining the principles and techniques needed for making decisions about the acquisition and retirement of capital goods by industry and government, this volume stresses two basic points: firstly, it is the prospective differences between alternatives that are relevant in their comparison and secondly, the fundamental question regarding a proposed investment in capital goods is whether the investment is likely to be recovered along with a return commensurate with the risk and consistent with the return that could have been obtained from other opportunities. To make the learning of the basic principles intriguing, this text provides a large number of problems at the end of each chapter, with answers given to about one-quarter of them. Students are therefore able to check their progress as they go. This new edition features 476 problems, more than half of which are entirely new or substantially modified.

Table of Contents

Preface: The Continuing Power of Lifescripts. PART I: LIFESCRIPTS FOR DEALING WITH SUPERIORS. 1. Asking for a Salary Increase. 2. Asking for a Promotion. 3. Asking for Emergency Leave. 4. Asking Your Superior for Maternity Leave. 5. Asking Your Superior for Paternity Leave. 6. Asking Your Superior for an Increased Budget. 7. Breaking Bad News to a Superior. 8. Maximizing a Performance Review. 9. Asking for a Salary Advance. 10. Justifying an Expense Report. 11. Refusing an Assignment. 12. Asking for a Deadline Extension. 13. Asking for Relief from an Assignment. 14. Asking Your Superior for Help with Your Workload. 15. Asking Your Superior for a Bigger or More Private Workspace. 16. Asking Your Superior for Additional Responsibilities. 17. Asking Someone to Become Your Mentor. 18. Asking for a Lateral Reassignment. 19. Warning Your Superior of Potential Client Problems. 20. Warning Your Superior of Potential Vendor Problems. 21. Asking Your Superior for More Staff. 22. Advocating a Subordinate's Raise Request to Human Resources. 23. Setting Recruiting Goals with Human Resources. 24. Protecting a Subordinate from a Possible Layoff. 25. Defending a Subordinate against Criticism from Human Resources. 26. Telling Your Superior Someone Else Took Credit for Your Idea. 27. Asking Your Superior to Stop Micromanaging. 28. Going over Your Superior's Head. 29. Complaining about an Immediate Superior's Behavior. 30. Apologizing to Your Superior for Your Own Backstabbing. 31. Giving Two Weeks' Notice to Your Superior. 32. Recommending an Incentive Plan for Yourself. PART II: LIFESCRIPTS FOR DEALING WITH SUBORDINATES. 33. Criticizing a Subordinate's Work. 34. Turning Down a Raise Request. 35. Asking a Subordinate to Do Something Not in Her Job Description. 36. Announcing a Salary Reduction. 37. Warning a Subordinate to Stop Drinking. 38. Turning Down a Promotion Request. 39. Giving a Negative Performance Review. 40. Turning Down a Subordinate's Request for Time Off. 41. Reducing the Size of a Subordinate's Staff. 42. Changing a Subordinate's Workspace to a Less Private One. 43. Questioning a Subordinate's Expense Report. 44. Offering Constructive Feedback to a Subordinate. 45. Asking a Subordinate to Be More Aware of Ethical Issues. 46. Tactfully Suggesting Better Hygiene to a Subordinate. 47. Demanding Better Work Habits from a Subordinate. 48. Asking a Subordinate to Improve Her Appearance. 49. Handling a Subordinate's Personal Telephone Calls and Internet Use. 50. Stopping Backstabbing among Subordinates. 51. Putting an End to a Subordinate's Gossiping. 52. Turning Down a Subordinate's Request to Hire Her Offspring. 53. Suggesting a Subordinate Improve His Communication Skills. 54. Handling a Flirtatious Subordinate. 55. Dealing with a Brownnosing Subordinate. 56. Asking If a Subordinate Is a Victim of Domestic Abuse. 57. Apologizing to a Subordinate for Your Own Behavior. 58. Telling a Subordinate to Be Respectful of Diversity Efforts. 59. Terminating a Subordinate. 60. Sending a Voluntary Termination Hint to a Subordinate. 61. Telling a Subordinate to Have a More Positive Attitude. PART III: LIFESCRIPTS FOR DEALING WITH OFFICE POLITICS. 62. Confronting a Sexual Harasser. 63. Confronting a Backstabbing Peer. 64. Ratting on a Colleague. 65. Suggesting No Further Drinking to a Peer. 66. Tactfully Suggesting Better Hygiene to a Peer. 67. Asking a Peer to Pull Her Own Weight. 68. Asking a Peer to Improve the Quality of His Work. 69. Asking a Peer to Stop Gossiping. 70. Correcting a Peer's Mistakes. 71. Refusing to Lie for a Peer. 72. Asking a Peer to Clean Up Her Work Area. 73. Asking a Peer to Turn Down Annoying Music. 74. Confronting a Chronic Interrupter. 75. Confronting a Peer's Dishonest Behavior. 76. Confronting a Pilfering Peer. 77. Asking a Peer to Cover for You. 78. Asking a Peer to Switch Vacations with You. 79. Telling a Peer Her Job May Be in Danger. 80. Helping a Peer Set More Realistic Goals. 81. Asking the Information Technology Department to Be More Patient with Your Staff. 82. Asking a Peer to Remove You from Her Mailing List. 83. Asking a Peer to Treat Your Staff with More Respect. 84. Cold Calling for an Informational Interview. 85. Responding to a Salary Offer. 86. Interviewing for a Career-Shift Job. 87. Responding to Tough Interview Questions. PART IV: LIFESCRIPTS FOR DEALING WITH CLIENTS, CUSTOMERS, AND VENDORS. 88. Cold Calling a Potential Client. 89. Breaking Bad News to a Client. 90. Refusing a Client's Request. 91. Resurrecting a Former Client. 92. Dealing with a Client Who Is Angry with Your Staff. 93. Apologizing to a Client for Your Own Mistake. 94. Pressing a Client to Pay the Bill. 95. Telling a Client You've Increased Your Fees. 96. Justifying Increased Fees to a Critical Client. 97. Closing a Deal with a Client. 98. Overcoming a Gatekeeper. 99. Asking a Vendor to Reduce a Price. 100. Complaining to a Vendor about Service. 101. Getting a Vendor to Come in with a Very Low Bid. 102. Asking a Vendor to Accelerate Work. 103. Returning a Meal in a Restaurant. 104. Suggesting an Overcharge Took Place. 105. Requesting Better Service from a Professional. 106. Terminating a Relationship with a Professional. 107. Asking a Creditor for More Time. 108. Renegotiating a Price with a Client. 109. Explaining a Delay to a Client. Index.