Book excerpt: Business ideas and practices are constantly changing, but no manager has the time to read all the business books and articles that come out in a year. In this book, Ian Mann does all the work for you, trawling through recent business publications and distilling the most important new insights and developments. The Executive Update covers topics such as technology and mechanisation; the structure of organisations; obligations to stakeholders other than shareholders; leadership; the changing nature of work; psychology in business; creativity; the importance of simplicity; and the strange world of money and banking; and strategy in a fast-changing world. These subjects are explored in a clear, comprehensible way, and presented in easily digestible and thought-provoking chapters. This is the ideal book for people who want an easy way to keep up with the latest developments in business and management thinking, and will appeal to junior managers and senior executives alike.