Now in its 148th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's 2016: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2016: Governance contains essential information on the UK's European, national and local government infrastructure; a full listing of MPs, government departments and public bodies; plus Parliament: A Year in Review, covering all the key debates in the House of Commons over the 2014-15 parliamentary year.

Now in its 148th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's 2016: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2016: The Year in Review includes a digest of the 2014-15 year's events in the UK and abroad and articles covering subjects as diverse as Archaeology, Conservation, Business and Finance, Music, Dance, Film and Weather. There is also an A-Z listing of all the results for the major sporting events from Alpine Skiing through to Fencing, Football, Horse Racing, Rugby, Polo and Tennis.

Now in its 146th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's Almanack 2014: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2014: Governance contains essential information on the UK's European, national and local government infrastructure; a full listing of MPs, government departments and public bodies; plus Parliament: A Year in Review, covering all the key debates in the House of Commons over the 2012-13 parliamentary year.

Now in its 147th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's Almanack 2015: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2015: Governance contains essential information on the UK's European, national and local government infrastructure; a full listing of MPs, government departments and public bodies; plus Parliament: A Year in Review, covering all the key debates in the House of Commons over the 2013-14 parliamentary year.

Now in its 146th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's Almanack 2014: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2014: International contains extensive data (including timelines and maps) on every country of the world, the European Union, international organisations, the North and South Poles, plus information on overseas travel.

Food safety awareness is at an all time high, new and emerging threats to the food supply are being recognized, and consumers are eating more and more meals prepared outside of the home. Accordingly, retail and foodservice establishments, as well as food producers at all levels of the food production chain, have a growing responsibility to ensure that proper food safety and sanitation practices are followed, thereby, safeguarding the health of their guests and customers. Achieving food safety success in this changing environment requires going beyond traditional training, testing, and inspectional approaches to managing risks. It requires a better understanding of organizational culture and the human dimensions of food safety. To improve the food safety performance of a retail or foodservice establishment, an organization with thousands of employees, or a local community, you must change the way people do things. You must change their behavior. In fact, simply put, food safety equals behavior. When viewed from these lenses, one of the most common contributing causes of food borne disease is unsafe behavior (such as improper hand washing, cross-contamination, or undercooking food). Thus, to improve food safety, we need to better integrate food science with behavioral science and use a systems-based approach to managing food safety risk. The importance of organizational culture, human behavior, and systems thinking is well documented in the occupational safety and health fields. However, significant contributions to the scientific literature on these topics are noticeably absent in the field of food safety.

"Messrs. Gow and Kells have made an invaluable contribution, writing in an amused tone that nevertheless acknowledges the firms' immense power and the seriousness of their neglect of traditional responsibilities. 'The Big Four' will appeal to all those interested in the future of the profession--and of capitalism itself." —Jane Gleeson-White, Wall Street Journal With staffs that are collectively larger than the Russian army and combined revenues of over $130 billion a year, the Big Four accounting firms—Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG—are a keystone of global commerce. But leading scholar Ian Gow and award-winning author Stuart Kells warn that a house of cards may be about to fall. Stretching back to the Medicis in Renaissance Florence, this book is a fascinating story of wealth, power, and luck. The founders of the Big Four lived surprisingly colorful lives. Samuel Price, for example, married his own niece. Between the world wars, Nicholas Waterhouse collected postage stamps while also hosting decadent parties in his fashionable London home. All four firms have endured major calamities in recent decades. There have been hundreds of court cases and legal prosecutions for failed audits, tax scandals, and breaches of independence. The firms have come so close to “extinction level events” that regulators have required them to prepare “living wills.” And today, the Big Four face an uncertain future—thanks to their push into China, their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition, and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency. This account of the past, present, and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working or considering working in the industry, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.