Category Archives: Book Display

Photo of the Neurodiversity Celebration Week book display in the library.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025

Leave a Reply

The Neurodiversity Celebration Week programme features a wide range of speakers from around the globe who are leading experts in neurodiversity and inclusion. Many of them are also well-respected authors, and Saïd Enabled would like to highlight six books written by Neurodiversity Celebration Week speakers – all of which are available electronically via the Bodleian Libraries (links below, Oxford SSO required). The Sainsbury Library is also displaying a range of titles on this theme during the week. Whether you are curious to learn more about research into the value of neurodiversity within organisations or looking for practical tips to support yourself or your neurodivergent colleagues and friends, there is something here for you!

The Neurodiversity Celebration Week Events Schedule lists webinars that you can register to attend for free. The sessions are very varied, so there is something for everyone! Even if you are unavailable to attend live, we would recommend registering to receive a copy of the recording to enable you to watch it at a more suitable time.

Neurodiversity at Work: Drive innovation, performance and productivity with a neurodiverse workforce by Amanda Kirby & Theo Smith

Amanda Kirby is chairing Event 1: Celebrating Different Minds – An Introduction to Neurodiversity and both Amanda Kirby and Theo Smith are speaking at Event 12: Shaping Neurodiversity through Innovation & Technology.

Neurodiversity at Work is a practical guide that explores the benefits of valuing those who think differently within the workforce. Drawing on research and case studies from leading organisations such as Microsoft, the authors demonstrate the importance of recognizing and harnessing the unique strengths of neurodivergent individuals in improving business outcomes and brand impact, as well as employee wellbeing. The book was the winner of the Diversity, Inclusion & Equality Book 2022 at the Business Book Awards, and features chapters on inclusive recruitment, line management conversations, and the workplace of the future.

Read this book if: you want to understand the business case for neurodiversity inclusion and catch the vision for a truly diverse workforce.

Smith, T. & Kirby, A. (2021) Neurodiversity at Work: Drive innovation, performance and productivity with a neurodiverse workforce. London: KoganPage.

Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing sensory processing and cognitive well-being in the built environment by Kay Sargeant

Kay Sargeant is on the panel of speakers at Event 13: Neurodiversity at Work Q&A: Designing Neuro-inclusive Working Environments.

Kay Sargeant draws on her experience as a certified interior designer and Director of Thought Leadership at the global design and architecture firm HOK’s Interiors group in reimagining the workplace through a neuroinclusive lens. Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces, published in March 2025, considers the sensory and cognitive impact of the spaces in which we work, especially on those with neurodivergent conditions, and makes the case for inclusive choices at every stage of the design process to “boost productivity” and “transform high-stress environments into more welcoming and functional spaces for everyone”.

Read this book if: you want to discover how aspects of our physical environment at work can promote inclusion, productivity and wellbeing.

Sargent, K. (2025) Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing sensory processing and cognitive well-being in the built environment. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

The Canary Code: A guide to neurodiversity, dignity, and intersectional belonging at work (also available as an audiobook) by Ludmila N. Praslova

Ludmila N. Praslova is on the panel of speakers at Event 23: Is the Business World leading society on Neuroinclusion?

The Canary Code describes how neurodivergent individuals can often be ‘canaries in the coalmine’, falling foul of psychologically unhealthy working environments before others do. However, Ludmila Praslova sets out clear inclusive principles for organisations to follow, to improve the experience of work for everyone. With simple takeaways and real-life examples, she shares practical steps to put these principles into action at every level of an organisation, from everyday changes to system-wide shifts. There are several chapters on leadership, including the challenges faced by leaders who are neurodivergent themselves, and useful appendices such as checklists for neuroinclusive hiring and running neuroinclusive meetings.

Read (or listen to) this book if: you’re looking for practical tips on improving inclusion that you can start implementing today. If you’re not sure which of the six books to pick, The Canary Code has a bit of everything!

Praslova, L. N. (2024) The Canary Code: A guide to neurodiversity, dignity, and intersectional belonging at work. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

The Neurodiversity Edge: The essential guide to embracing autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological differences for any organization by Maureen Dunne

Dr. Maureen Dunne is on the panel of speakers at Event 23: Is the Business World leading society on Neuroinclusion?

The Neurodiversity Edge sets out the case for neuroinclusion as not just a positive thing for organisations to do, but vital for organisations to thrive and deal with the challenges of a rapidly changing environmental, social, political and technological landscape. Dr. Dunne argues that neurodivergent individuals bring unique skills and ways of thinking to the workplace, and organisations which overlook these are in danger of groupthink, stagnation and losing out to competition. This book builds on her experience working with the World Economic Forum where she founded the Davos Neurodiversity Summit to bring fresh thinking to the world’s greatest challenges.

Read this book if: you’re curious about how organisations can harness the strengths of neurodiverse teams to tackle big problems and adapt to changes.

Dunne, M. (2024) The Neurodiversity Edge: The essential guide to embracing autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological differences for any organization. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Learning from Neurodivergent Leaders: How to start, survive and thrive in leadership by Nancy Doyle

Dr. Nancy Doyle is on the panel of speakers at Event 23: Is the Business World leading society on Neuroinclusion?

Drawing on her experience as founder and Chief Science Officer of Genius Within, an international B-corp focused on neurodiversity inclusion, and as a neurodivergent leader herself, Nancy Doyle has written this book as a manual for leaders and aspiring leaders who think differently. She shares personal stories from a wide variety of contributors with lived experience, exposing the ‘unwritten rules of leadership’, and giving realistic advice on navigating the strengths and challenges of the path to becoming a leader as a neurodivergent person.

Read this book if: you’re a leader or considering leadership, and you have – or think you might have – a neurodivergent condition. It’s also a great read if you want to understand the lived experience of neurodivergent leaders.

Doyle, N. (2025) Learning from Neurodivergent Leaders: How to start, survive and thrive in leadership. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Dyslexia and Me: How to survive and thrive if you’re neurodivergent by Onyinye Udokporo

Onyinye Udokporo is on the panel of speakers at Event 23: Is the Business World leading society on Neuroinclusion?

Dyslexia and Me is Onyinye Udokporo’s personal story of learning to embrace her dyslexia diagnosis and forging a path for herself as a successful entrepreneur and educator. Dealing with themes of intersectionality and representation, she aims to be the role model for others that she wished she had had whilst growing up in London as a young girl of Nigerian heritage.

Read this book if: you’re looking for inspiration and encouragement to overcome obstacles and find your strengths.

Udokporo, O. (2023) Dyslexia and Me: How to survive and thrive if you’re neurodivergent. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Podcasts

Don’t feel like reading? Check out these podcasts featuring Neurodiversity Celebration Week speakers:

Do you have any recommendations of books and resources on neurodiversity? Let us know in the comments.

World BookDay 2025

Leave a Reply

The theme of World Book Day this year is Read Your Way which “encourages everyone to let go of reading pressures and expectations”. So in keeping with the theme, do have look at our current book display, including interesting and non-business related titles. Also, we have some fun activities. Stop by the book display and let us know your favourite book and take a break to colour in your own World Book Day bookmark.

Photo of the World Mental Health Day book display in the Sainsbury Library.

World Mental Health Day 2024

For World Mental Health Day 2024, mental health in the workplace is the focus. With 875,000 workers suffering from work related stress, depression and anxiety in 2022/23 and 15% of UK workers estimated to have existing mental health conditions (Mental Health Foundation Statistics), awareness and action for mental health is necessary. Addressing mental health in the workplace is for the benefit of everyone – for both the individual and the workplace (mental health is the 5th most common reason for sickness absence) and thus is a priority to tackle from a personal and organisational level. Work can be good for your mental health in giving a sense of purpose but balance between work and life is key. This mental health day we have collated a selection of self-help and work-life balance books to help in taking a step for better mental health. You could also come and take a break at the Sainsbury Library at our colouring and puzzle station or try your hand at some origami! Find more in our recommendations of 7 Fun Things to do in the Library.

Featured books

Photo of the Green Libraries week book display in the Sainsbury Library.

Every Library is a Green Library: Sustainability book display inspired by Green Libraries Week 2024!

Green Libraries week – running 7th–13th October 2024 – is a campaign organised by CILIP that aims to enable public libraries in England to address Environmental Responsibility and to work with their communities to take action. This extends to all libraries; school and university libraries have joined public libraries in signing the Green Libraries Manifesto. As part of Saïd Business School which provides an abundance of online Insights into Climate Change, the Sainsbury Library contains a wealth of resources on how we can help the planet from all levels – both physical and digital (take a look at our Climate Action Libguide!). This Green Libraries week, we have provided a selection of climate awareness resources in our library display ranging from public and social responsibility to marketing, economic, and library action on climate change.

Sustainable Libraries

Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich

Forward thinking on the development of environmental aspects of libraries and the aims and objectives of libraries. A sustainable library requires sustainable thinking, and this book defines how sustainable thinking encompasses equally the environment, economics and social equity.

Going Green: Implementing Sustainable Strategies in Libraries Around the World: Buildings, Management, Programmes and Services edited by Petra Hauke, Madeleine Charney and Harri Sahavirta

This collection of articles covers environmental aspects of libraries, including energy conservation and how to reduce the ecological footprint in libraries’ everyday operations. The social role and responsibility of libraries as leaders in environmental sustainability
is assessed, as well as examples of implemented practices from academic libraries across the world, including Kenya, USA, and Germany.

Public Action and Climate Change Mitigation

Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning by George Monbiot

Providing guidance on how we as the public can help the environment and prevent global warming.

Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken

Connects people to resources on solutions and actions to be taken to end the climate crisis. The Project Regeneration website also provides further insight. They have a weekly newsletter called The Waggle about regeneration and the restoration of earth’s life.

Human Choice and Climate Change edited by Steve Rayner and Elizabeth L. Malone

The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future by David Wallace-Wells

Highlights both the social aspects of climate change and presents the economic setback that climate change proposes, emphasising its widespread detriment.

Economics and Capitalism

Completing Capitalism: Heal Business to Heal the World by Bruno Roche and Jay Jakub

Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism by John Elkington

Elkington discusses the social responsibility of business and declares his manifesto for a system to serve people, planet and prosperity.

The Zeronauts: Breaking the Sustainability Barrier by John Elkington

Elkington introduces ‘Zeronauts’ in his book; innovators who aim to drive problems of carbon, waste, and poverty to zero. These innovators widely tackle economic, social and environmental challenges. Sifting through the environmental aspects of technical innovations, Elkington produces a five stage ‘Pathways to Zero’ model.

Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet by Tim Jackson

Focussing on the issues of continued economic growth in developed nations, Jackson highlights the detrimental environmental impact that rising consumption causes. Jackson finds a solution for how human society can prosper within the limited resourced earth that does not rely on continued economic growth without the ecosystem’s ability to support it.

Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet by Gernot Wagner and Martin Weitzman

‘If you had a 10 percent chance of having a fatal car accident, you’d take necessary precautions. If your finances had a 10 percent chance of suffering a severe loss, you’d reevaluate your assets. So, if we know the world is warming and there’s a 10 percent chance this might eventually lead to a catastrophe beyond anything we could imagine, why aren’t we doing more about climate change right now?’. Taking an economic lens, Wagner and Weitzman analyse the consequences and possible solutions to this warming planet making previous work on this topic accessible for the general public.

Guides, Business and Marketing

The Green Bundle: Pairing the Market with the Planet by Magali A. Delmas with David Colgan

A guide which aims to teach how the market of green products needs a two-fold marketing strategy that appeals to both the altruistic and egoistic values of consumers – termed ‘the green bundle’. Marketing strategy, environmentalism and human psychology are collated in this extensive guide.

The Future of Luxury Brands: Artification and Sustainability edited by Annamma Joy

A pioneering book analysing sustainability and the environmental aspects of four major sections of the luxury goods industry; the art world, fashion, hospitality services and fine wines.

The Green Executive: Corporate Leadership in a Low Carbon Economy by Gareth Kane

Global problems are made into digestible practical actions for businesses.

Harnessing Markets for Biodiversity: Towards Conservation and Sustainable Use by Dan Biller

Sustainable Business: Key Issues by Helen Kopnina, Rory Padfield and Josephine Mylan

This textbook provides an accessible overview of some concepts of sustainability in business. This updated version considers recent developments such as the climate emergency and COVID-19 and suggests a solution of circular rather than linear economy – a Cradle-to-Cradle
Framework rather than Cradle to Grave. The challenges and solutions offered in this textbook direct us to making sustainability a reality.

Business and the Environment: Implications of the New Environmentalism edited by Denis Fischbacher-Smith

For more resources, see our posts about other recent book displays.

Fresh Green Leaves: New Reading on Sustainable, Responsible & Ethical Business

A Spotlight on Wellbeing

The 'Fresh Green Leaves' book display in the library.

Fresh Green Leaves: New Reading on Sustainable, Responsible & Ethical Business

Sainsbury Library welcomes you to flick through, gain inspiration and learn from the leaves of our books with our display ‘Fresh Green Leaves: New Reading on Sustainable, Responsible & Ethical Business’.

Inspired by the Future Climate Innovators Summer School, and with the assistance of our work experience student, the titles look at climate crisis solutions, social justice, environmental economics, and the role of capitalism in creating a sustainable future. There are many different perspectives on display complementing the school’s interdisciplinary and global approach to sustainability. Some argue harnessing profits is the solution, others argue for degrowth; some examine the few who control resources, whilst others examine human psychology; some discuss global solutions and others individual choices. However, they all share the idea that the earth is everyone’s business and desire for a greener world.

Also, on display are two “cli-fis” (climate fiction for those new to the genre) that imagine possible futures in light of the climate crisis. These are ideal for those who desire, or prefer, the art of storytelling and imagination to explore the above themes.

The books have been separated below into themes and excerpts from the book’s blurbs give a snapshot into the book. Some books are available online, others in our library and some in other libraries across Oxford. You can see the options by selecting the titles below. But the best way to check out the display is by coming into the library, flicking through in person and seeing what piques your interest!

Comprehensive Collaborative Guides

Both these titles from Paul Hawken cover a wide range of topics, drawn from numerous sources, alongside practical solutions for the climate crisis. They also contain high-quality photographs adding a visual experience to the themes in the book.

From land to ocean, food to industries – Regeneration proposes an extensive menu of actions that collectively can reverse the overheating and degradation of our planet. The solutions, techniques, and practices range from solar power, electric vehicles, and tree planting to bioregions, azolla fern and forest farms; they are all doable, science-based, and comprise a precise and unequivocal course of action.

You can find out more at Project Regeneration too

For the first time ever, an international coalition of leading researchers, scientists and policymakers has come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. All the techniques described here – some well-known, some you may have never heard of – are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are already enacting them. You can find out more.

You can find out more at Project Drawdown too

Books on Environmental Economics & Capitalism

  • The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources– The modern world is built on commodities – from the oil that fuels our cars to the metals that power our smartphones We rarely stop to consider where they come from. But we should.
  • Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire: how business can save the world– Free market capitalism is one of humanity’s greatest inventions, and the greatest source of prosperity the world has ever seen. But it’s also on the verge of destroying the planet and destabilizing society in its single-minded pursuit of maximizing shareholder value.
  • This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate– Forget everything you think you know about global warming. It’s not about carbon – it’s about capitalism. The good news is that we can seize this existential crisis to transform our failed economic system and build something radically better.
  • Green think: How profit can save the planet – in Green think, Fedrizzi turns conventional wisdom on its head by showing how profit can save the planet, and how sustainability is the biggest business opportunity of the 21st century.
  • Less is more: How degrowth will save the world (not in Sainsbury Library but available in other Bodleian Libraries) -. Our planet is in trouble. But how can we reverse the current crisis and create a sustainable future? The answer is: DEGROWTH
  • Environmental Economics: a very short introduction (available online)–Stephen Smith discusses environmental issues including pollution control, reducing environmental damage, and global climate change policies, answering questions about how we should balance environmental and economic considerations, and what form government policies should take.

Sustainability and Environment

Climate Change and Solutions:

Cli-fi:

  • The Carbon Diaries 2015– “It’s January 1st, 2015, and the UK is the first nation to introduce carbon dioxide rationing, in a drastic bid to combat climate change (…) The Carbon Diaries 2015 is one girl’s drastic bid to stay sane in a world unravelling at the seams.”
  • The Ministry for the Future– “From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a remarkable vision of climate change over the coming decades (…) using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all”

For more resources, see our posts about other recent book displays.

A Spotlight on Wellbeing

Celebrating in true library fashion!

Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award 2023

Welcome to the World of AI

Wellbeing book display in the library.

A Spotlight on Wellbeing

The Sainsbury Library has decided to shine a spotlight on well-being, mental health, and self-help. University is often stressful but the final term even more so! We have put together different resources and displays to support wellbeing and mental health.

Wellbeing and Study Padlet

Poster for Wellbeing PadletHave you got any study tips? Do you have particular activities that help your wellbeing?

We have created a padlet to share top tips for wellbeing and studying. Please contribute by sharing your tips and read what other people have posted. Even if you do not have anything to share, we hope you still learn something useful.

Origami and colouring pages

We have our usual jigsaw puzzle for readers to complete, alongside colouring books with coloured pencils provided. We have also put out individual colouring sheets that can be taken to desks. We found a lot of fun designs including smiling dogs (Pomeranians and dachshunds), lazy cats, dragons and flowers.

We also have an origami section which includes paper and three fun books with instructions:

Books

Our book display showcases books within the Sainsbury Library collection, but also the wider Bodleian with graphic novels, illustrated books and online audiobooks. The Bodleian Libraries is one of six legal deposit libraries in the country this means we have a lot of books that you might not expect to find in university libraries.

For more information about each book go to the ‘About the Books’ below.

Graphic novels/illustrated books, read in library

Managing stress, online audiobooks:

Oxford SSO required for access:

Motivation and thinking, physical books:

Happiness and self-help, physical books:

Window Display

Our window display shows data on the business of mental health and wellbeing. It showcases data and charts relating to stress, corporate wellness services and fitness trends.

About the books (from the blurbs!):

  • Michael Rosen’s Sad Book — ‘Who is sad? Sad is anyone. It comes along and finds you’
  • Neurocomic- ‘Do you know what your brain is made of? How does memory function? What is a neuron and how does it work? For that matter what’s a comic and in the words of Lewis Caroll’s famous caterpillar: who are you?’
  • The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse-‘A book of hope for uncertain times. Enter the world of Charlie’s four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons.’
  • Lighter Than My Shadow- ‘a hand-drawn story of struggle and recovery, a trip into the black heart of a taboo illness, an exposure of those who are so weak as to prey on the vulnerable, and an inspiration to anybody who believes in the human power to endure towards happiness.’
  • Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me-‘Searching to make sense of the popular idea of the ‘crazy artist’, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath.’
  • Why zebras don’t get ulcers– ‘Combining cutting-edge research with a healthy dose of good humour and practical advice, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions, including depression, ulcers, colitis, heart disease, and more.’
  • The mindfulness solution everyday practices for everyday problems-‘Mindfulness offers a path to well-being and tools for coping with life’s inevitable hurdles. And though mindfulness may sound exotic, you can cultivate it-and reap its proven benefits-without special training or lots of spare time. Trusted therapist and mindfulness expert Dr. Ronald Siegel shows exactly how in this inviting guide.’
  • Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog-‘Brain fog is real—and it can cloud your thinking, sap your creativity and motivation, and take the joy right out of life. This book offers quick, proven-effective solutions to help you cut through the haze and think clearly.’
  • Teach yourself to think. ‘Five easy-to-follow steps to clear productive thinking (…)Thinking is the most fundamental skill. Your happiness and your success depends on your thinking. The book offers a structure that broadens our ability to respond to and cope with a vast range of situations.’
  • Drive : the surprising truth about what motivates us. ‘Daniel H. Pink explains in this paradigm-shattering book, the true secret to high performance and satisfaction in today’s world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and the world.’
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life -‘Manson makes the argument, backed by both academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better.’
  • On Being Authentic – ‘To thine own self be true.’ From Polonius’s words in Hamlet right up to Oprah, we are constantly urged to look within. Why is being authentic the ultimate aim in life for so many people, and why does it mean looking inside rather than out? Is it about finding the ‘real’ me, or something greater than me, even God? And should we welcome what we find?’
  • Happiness & economics-‘Curiously, economists, whose discipline has much to do with human well-being, have shied away from factoring the study of happiness into their work (…) This is the first book to establish empirically the link between happiness and economics-and between happiness and democracy. Two respected economists, Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer, integrate insights and findings from psychology, where attempts to measure quality of life are well-documented, as well as from sociology and political science’
  • Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth. ‘Utilizing sophisticated methodology and three decades of research by the world’s leading expert on happiness, Happiness challenges the present thinking of the causes and consequences of happiness and redefines our modern notions of happiness.’
Celebrating IWD in true library fashion

Celebrating in true library fashion!

Saïd Business School is celebrating two important occasions: International Women’s Day and hosting the Oxford Africa Business Forum 2024. The Sainsbury Library has decided to join in the celebrations with two different but complementary displays.

We have a window display at our library entrance, train station side, showcasing the library’s ebook collection of titles relating to doing business, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment in Africa. Our second display showcases books primarily from our physical collection, with a focus on women in business and women’s economic empowerment globally. Remember to look at both sides of the display. One side shows our books focused on the African continent and the other has books focused on women, business, and inclusion. To help you navigate each display, the titles have been split up into different categories.

The library would like to highlight that the books can be borrowed by students and staff within Saïd Business School and across the wider university community. Please see our library information page for our opening hours. Most of the ebooks will require a University of Oxford Single-Sign-On but, as highlighted below, some are open access and available to anyone!

Window Display
For our Window Display, the focus is on celebrating Oxford Africa Business Forum 2024 which is marking its 15th anniversary this year! The forum’s theme this year is Business as a Force for Nation Building and ‘is centred on the integral role businesses play in national development.’1 This is a perfect chance for the library to share and showcase its resources relating to Africa and Business. The display contains descriptions of the books and a QR code to access the ebook. Please note that many of the titles require an Oxford SSO but some on the list are open access.

Business and Development books
Our first category of books links to the Oxford Africa Business Forum’s theme of business and development within the continent.

Entrepreneurship and Leadership books
Our second category of books links to the school’s wider Oxford Saïd Africa Initiative and the Oxford Africa Business Alliance which aim to invest in Africa, support the next generation of African leaders, and to ‘stimulate a vigorous dialogue about business, investment and entrepreneurship in Africa’2.

Women’s Empowerment:
Our third category of books focus on women’s economic empowerment and includes a book on leadership co-authored by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who is a global financial and economics expert and the first woman and first African to be director general of the World Trade Organisation. These titles are also part of our International Women’s Day display to highlight the link between the two themes.

Book Display
Our physical book display primarily showcases books from our library’s general business collection which can be found in our Annexe room. The display has books on a wide range of topics from philosophers reimagining human development and public policy to women sharing their workplace experiences and career tips for women. There is something here for every reader!

Whilst not creating the display with IWD’s theme of ‘Inspiring Inclusivity’ in mind, the books on display highlight the theme throughout. The display has books from diverse authors such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Saadia Zahid, and Junheng Li. Titles have also been picked that showcase the international side of our collection.

Historical Books – all physical:

Books on leadership, careers, and working women’s lives-all physical books:

Books on philosophical and economical empowerment-ebooks and physical:

These titles are also included in our Oxford Africa Business Forum window display but link to International Women’s Day.

References
1. Africa Business Forum (n.d) Available at: https://www.oxfordafricaforum.com/ (Accessed: 7 March 2024)
2. Oxford Africa Business Alliance (n.d). Available at: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about-us/school/our-community/oxford-africa-business-alliance (Accessed 7 March 2024)

 

Book display in the Sainsbury Library.

Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award 2023

  • What is a ‘right kind of wrong’?
  • Have you wondered how big projects get done or why they end up in disasters?
  • Do you know about the six materials that have shaped human history and will shape our future?
  • Are you aware of the modern-day slavery involved in the production of cobalt, a material that is used to power our everyday lives?
  • Have you considered what the new era of AI means for the world?
  • What drives the innovation, triumphs, and failures of one of the most influential people in the world?

Sainsbury Library invites you to explore these questions with our Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year display. You can access the Financial Times through the Bodleian Libraries, our Current News LibGuide has instructions for registering.

The Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award started in 2005 and aims to find enjoyable books that are pertinent to modern issues in business. The shortlist, for 2023, according to the judges, offers ‘exciting, engaging, and important titles that together provide a highly readable guide to the future of business’1 and ‘solutions to the pressing challenges facing executives and policymakers at a time of profound disruption and uncertainty.’2

The books shortlisted are about topics that go beyond what most people would define as a “business” book and are likely to be of interest to a wide range of readers.

Titles like Right Kind of Wrong (2023 winner) and How Big Things Get Done may be useful for managers but also for people who want to understand why things fail, and how to effectively learn and improve from mistakes. Cobalt Red, Material World, and AI: The Coming Wave, all explore the hidden world of technology, materials, and minerals. The authors shine a light on the history, exploitation, and risks to society and the environment associated with their subject matters. Finally, ‘Elon Musk’ – whether you love the man or hate him – offers readers an insight into one of the most influential and powerful figures in the world today.

A special mention and congratulations to Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg who is an Emeritus Professor at Saïd Business School and who co-authored the shortlisted book How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration.

We hope you find something that will pique your interest and that you come along and borrow one, or all of them!

Book of the Year

Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive
By Amy Edmondson- a world-renowned organisational psychologist and Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School.

Shortlist

Material World: A substantial Story of our Past and Future
By Ed Conway- a writer and broadcaster, currently the Economics and Data editor for Sky News and regular columnist for The Times and Sunday Times.

How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration
By Bent Flyvbjerg- Saïd Business School Emeritus Professor and the world expert on megaprojects; and Dan Gardner, New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and consultant.

Elon Musk
By Walter Isaacson- a history professor at Tulane University, journalist, former CEO of CNN, and bestselling author of biographies including about Steve Jobs and Kissinger.

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers our Lives
By Siddharth Kara- a British Academy Global Professor and Rights Lab Associate Professor of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at the University of Nottingham.

The Coming Wave: AI, Power and the Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma
By Mustafa Suleyman (with Michael Bhaskar)- a serial tech entrepreneur. AI researcher and co-founder of DeepMind, part of Google, and co-founder of Inflection AI; and Michael Bhaskar – New York Times bestselling writer, and publisher on AI, technology, publishing, and the future of media.

If you are interested in seeing the books that did not reach the shortlist, then you should check out the Financial Times Book of the Year Longlist and you can also see historical entries on their Best Business Books page.

Further Reading: Book Reviews

If you want to find out more about each title above, here are snippets from reviews and you can read the full review by clicking on the book title.

Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson
‘Do good teams make fewer mistakes? It seems a reasonable hypothesis. But in the early 1990s, when a young researcher looked at evidence from medical teams at two Massachusetts hospitals, the numbers told her a completely different story: the teams who displayed the best teamwork were the ones making the most mistakes. What on earth was going on?’3

Material World- the six commodities that shape our lives
‘Ed Conway’s lucid book explores the mines and quarries beneath the ‘ethereal’ economy of technology and services.’ 4

How Big Things Get Done
‘The book has an upbeat title, perhaps because publishing lore suggests that including “failure” is a sure way to crater sales, but, rest assured, it is full of delicious anecdotes about project management disasters.’5

Elon Musk
‘An exploration of the tech billionaire’s epic feats, which is long on reporting detail but shorter on the meaning of Musk.’6

Cobalt Red
‘Takes a deep dive into the horrors of mining the valuable mineral — and the many who benefit from others’ suffering.’7

AI: The Coming Wave 
‘Bristles with breathtaking excitement about the extraordinary possibilities that the revolutions in AI and synthetic biology could bring about (…) In the 21st century, the dilemma will be how to contain technology’s power.’8

We hope you enjoy reading some of these books. If you have any ideas for other business books do contact us! You can also use the Bodleian request form to suggest a new book, e-book, database or resource.

References
1. 2. Hill, Andrew. “FT Business Book of the Year 2023 — the shortlist” Financial Times, September 21, 2023.
3. Harford, Tim. “The art of making good mistakes,” Financial Times, September 15, 2023.
4. Gapper, John. “Material world-the six commodities that shape our lives,” Financial Times, June 15, 2023.
5. Hill, Andrew, et al. “FT business books: What to read this month,” Financial Times, February 9, 2023.
6. Foroohar, Rana. “Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson — clashes of the titan,” Financial Times, September 13, 2023.
7. Aikins, Matthieu. “How Is Your Phone Powered? Problematically.,” New York Times, January 23, 2023.
8. Thornhill, John. “AI and the next great tech shift,” Financial Times, September 14, 2023.

Photograph of the AI book display in the Sainsbury Library.

Welcome to the World of AI

Step into the Sainsbury Library and explore the fascinating, fun, but sometimes frightening, world of Artificial Intelligence with our book display in the lower reading room. AI is ubiquitous in many people’s daily lives and is impacting and raising questions in all areas of businesses. With AI ‘creating’ art, films, music and novels; aiding doctors, researchers and patients in the life-saving work of medicine; and assisting both defensive and offensive forces in wars. For some, the rapid growth and innovation of AI represents a golden opportunity for business, humans, and the future of our world. However, for others, AI spells impending doom, with visions of mass unemployment and even the end of the world. For both, AI is a tool that makes the imagined events of Sci-fi-the good, the bad, and the fun-a reality.

The Sainsbury Library’s display, ‘Welcome to the World of AI’, has books ranging from the threats and opportunities of AI in business and economics, the history of AI, the ethics of AI, and even chess and AI. We hope you will find something of interest to you, whether you are a doomsayer, optimist, or have no idea what AI is all about!

Please note all books are available on-line, unless otherwise specified. Please click on the links provided or even better come and browse the colourful display in-person and scan our QR codes!

General and Philosophy

Business

Further resources

For more resources see our Business of AI LibGuide.

The O’Reilly learning platform and Gartner research library both provide free access to expert-created and curated information covering all the areas that will shape our future – including artificial intelligence.

Online Learning with O’Reilly

Gartner Campus Access

Book display for Mental Health Awareness week.

Resources: Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (15 – 23rd May). The theme this year is anxiety with the aim of starting a national conversation and encouraging people to share their experiences. At the Sainsbury Library, you can take a look at our new book display in the lower reading room and the posters near the library entrance. They are packed with reading and listening ideas for reducing stress and anxiety. You can also find the links to all the resources below.

Ebooks

Audiobooks

For more resources and support see our recent post on Self-help e-books.

Self-help e-books