Includes bibliographical references and index.

A word to the instructor -- A word to the student -- Acknowledgements -- National income and product account : connections: accounting for national economic performance -- National debt : connections: natural economy -- Money, banking, and financial intermediation : connections: money- a matter of considerable interest -- Inflation : connections: economics doesn't exist in a vacuum -- Unemployment : connections: physical and human dimensions of redundancy -- Economic fluctuations and growth : connections: balancing acts and perpetual motion -- Interest rates : connections: a long history of interest -- Exchange rates : connections: precious parallel.

This book provides an introduction to principal macroeconomic phenomena: inflation, unemployment, national income, interest rates and exchange rates. It describes how each phenomenon is measured, what makes it change and the consequences of change. The goal is to provide a degree of literacy about the economy which constitutes the environment of business.

If you always thought that macroeconomics was too complex and theoretical to understand, this book is the perfect introduction to the subject. the Macroeconomic Environment of Business provides a clear understanding of the economy by focusing on core issues such as inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and economic growth. Each issue and topic is approached in a self-contained way and questions -- such as how should one measure a macroeconomic concept; what makes it large or small; and why does the concept matter? -- are put forth to readers who are new to the dynamic field of economics. With easy-to-understand explanations and interesting fun facts that link macroeconomics to real life, this book will also be a valuable resource for lecturers who wish to engage students in the study of macroeconomics.