The Industries of the Future


Book Description

"Innovation expert Alec Ross explains what's next for the world, mapping out the advances and stumbling blocks that will emerge in the next ten years--for businesses, governments, and the global community--and how we can navigate them"--




The Raging 2020s


Book Description

In the face of unprecedented global change, New York Times bestselling author Alec Ross proposes a new social contract to restore the balance of power between government, citizens, and business in The Raging 2020s. For 150 years, there has been a contract. Companies hold the power to shape our daily lives. The state holds the power to make them fall in line. And the people hold the power to choose their leaders. But now, this balance has shaken loose. As the market consolidates, the lines between big business and the halls of Congress have become razor-thin. Private companies have become as powerful as countries. As Walter Isaacson said about Alec Ross’s first book, The Industries of the Future, “The future is already hitting us, and Ross shows how it can be exciting rather than frightening.” Through interviews with the world’s most influential thinkers and stories of corporate activism and malfeasance, government failure and renewal, and innovative economic and political models, Ross proposes a new social contract—one that resets the equilibrium between corporations, the governing, and the governed.




The Revenue Growth Habit


Book Description

800-CEO-Read Sales Book Of The Year for 2015 | Forbes 15 Best Business Books of 2015 | “The chapters, (46 of them in this 256 page book) are quick and concise, and it is easy to pick it up anywhere and find a nugget of easily actionable advice, but the kicker is that the actions he recommends are also quick and concise, so that we can accomplish them in the few bursts of spare time we all have left.” – 800CEORead.com “Follow Goldfayn's brilliant advice and you will have an endless supply of customer testimonials, spontaneous referrals, and new business, and it will compel you to buy a beautiful fountain pen and stop obsessing over social media. His advice simply works.” – Inc.com Grow your business by 15% with these proven daily growth actions Do you have trouble finding time during your hectic day to grow your business? Is your company stalled because you are too busy reacting to customer problems? Do you lack the funds to jumpstart an effective marketing plan? The Revenue Growth Habit gives business owners, leaders, and all customer facing staff a hands-on resource for increasing revenue that is fast, easy, and requires no financial investment. Alex Goldfayn, CEO of the Evangelist Marketing Institute, shows how to grow your organization by 15% or more in 15 minutes or less per day—without spending a penny of your money. Forget about relying on social media. Posting on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn doesn't grow revenue, especially for business-to-business companies. The Revenue Growth Habit shows how to request and collect testimonials and how to communicate these testimonials to grow your business. You will discover how to write powerful case studies, ask for (and get!) referrals, grow your lists, and send a revenue-growing newsletter. Goldfayn also includes information for teaching your customer service people how to inform your current clients about what else they can buy from you. This proven approach revolves around letting your customers tell your story. There is nothing you can say about your products and services that is more effective than what your paying customers say. How does it work? Each day, take one quick, proactive communication action that tells someone about how they'll be improved after buying from you. Choose from the 22 actions Goldfayn details in The Revenue Growth Habit. Each technique is fast, simple, and free. It only requires your personal effort to communicate the value of your product or service to someone who can buy from you. Personal communication—the key to the 22 action steps—will make your company stand head-and-shoulders above the competition.




China's Future


Book Description

China's future is arguably the most consequential question in global affairs. Having enjoyed unprecedented levels of growth, China is at a critical juncture in the development of its economy, society, polity, national security, and international relations. The direction the nation takes at this turning point will determine whether it stalls or continues to develop and prosper. Will China be successful in implementing a new wave of transformational reforms that could last decades and make it the world's leading superpower? Or will its leaders shy away from the drastic changes required because the regime's power is at risk? If so, will that lead to prolonged stagnation or even regime collapse? Might China move down a more liberal or even democratic path? Or will China instead emerge as a hard, authoritarian and aggressive superstate? In this new book, David Shambaugh argues that these potential pathways are all possibilities - but they depend on key decisions yet to be made by China's leaders, different pressures from within Chinese society, as well as actions taken by other nations. Assessing these scenarios and their implications, he offers a thoughtful and clear study of China's future for all those seeking to understand the country's likely trajectory over the coming decade and beyond.




AI For Lawyers


Book Description

Discover how artificial intelligence can improve how your organization practices law with this compelling resource from the creators of one of the world’s leading legal AI platforms. AI for Lawyers: How Artificial Intelligence is Adding Value, Amplifying Expertise, and Transforming Careers explains how artificial intelligence can be used to revolutionize your organization’s operations. Noah Waisberg and Dr. Alexander Hudek, a lawyer and a computer science Ph.D. who lead prominent legal AI business Kira Systems, have written an approachable and insightful book that will help you transform how your firm functions. AI for Lawyers explains how artificial intelligence can help your law firm: Win more business and find more clients Better meet and exceed client expectations Find hidden efficiencies Better manage and eliminate risk Increase associate and partner engagement Whether focusing on small or big law, AI for Lawyers is perfect for any lawyer who either feels uneasy about how AI might change law or is looking to capitalize on the evolving practice. With contributions from experts in the fields of e-Discovery, legal research, expert systems, and litigation analytics, it also belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who’s interested in the intersection of law and technology.




Inventing the Future


Book Description

This major new manifesto offers a “clear and compelling vision of a postcapitalist society” and shows how left-wing politics can be rebuilt for the 21st century (Mark Fisher, author of Capitalist Realism) Neoliberalism isn’t working. Austerity is forcing millions into poverty and many more into precarious work, while the left remains trapped in stagnant political practices that offer no respite. Inventing the Future is a bold new manifesto for life after capitalism. Against the confused understanding of our high-tech world by both the right and the left, this book claims that the emancipatory and future-oriented possibilities of our society can be reclaimed. Instead of running from a complex future, Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams demand a postcapitalist economy capable of advancing standards, liberating humanity from work and developing technologies that expand our freedoms. This new edition includes a new chapter where they respond to their various critics.




Coal


Book Description

By making available the almost unlimited energy stored in prehistoric plant matter, coal enabled the industrial age – and it still does. Coal today generates more electricity worldwide than any other energy source, helping to drive economic growth in major emerging markets. And yet, continued reliance on this ancient rock carries a high price in smog and greenhouse gases. We use coal because it is cheap: cheap to scrape from the ground, cheap to move, cheap to burn in power plants with inadequate environmental controls. In this book, Mark Thurber explains how coal producers, users, financiers, and technology exporters drive this supply chain, while fragmented environmental movements battle for full incorporation of environmental costs into the global calculus of coal. Delving into the politics of energy versus the environment at local, national, and international levels, Thurber paints a vivid picture of the multi-faceted challenges associated with continued coal production and use in the twenty-first century.




The Big Nine


Book Description

A call-to-arms about the broken nature of artificial intelligence, and the powerful corporations that are turning the human-machine relationship on its head. We like to think that we are in control of the future of "artificial" intelligence. The reality, though, is that we -- the everyday people whose data powers AI -- aren't actually in control of anything. When, for example, we speak with Alexa, we contribute that data to a system we can't see and have no input into -- one largely free from regulation or oversight. The big nine corporations -- Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba, Microsoft, IBM and Apple--are the new gods of AI and are short-changing our futures to reap immediate financial gain. In this book, Amy Webb reveals the pervasive, invisible ways in which the foundations of AI -- the people working on the system, their motivations, the technology itself -- is broken. Within our lifetimes, AI will, by design, begin to behave unpredictably, thinking and acting in ways which defy human logic. The big nine corporations may be inadvertently building and enabling vast arrays of intelligent systems that don't share our motivations, desires, or hopes for the future of humanity. Much more than a passionate, human-centered call-to-arms, this book delivers a strategy for changing course, and provides a path for liberating us from algorithmic decision-makers and powerful corporations.




Open Services Innovation


Book Description

The father of "open innovation" is back with his most significant book yet. Henry Chesbrough’s acclaimed book Open Innovation described a new paradigm for management in the 21st century. Open Services Innovation offers a new approach that demonstrates how open innovation combined with a services approach to business is an effective and powerful way to grow and compete in our increasingly services-driven economy. Chesbrough shows how companies in any industry can make the critical shift from product- to service-centric thinking, from closed to open innovation where co-creating with customers enables sustainable business models that drive continuous value creation for customers. He maps out a strategic approach and proven framework that any individual, business unit, company, or industry can put to work for renewed growth and profits. The book includes guidance and compelling examples for small and large companies, services businesses, and emerging economies, as well as a path forward for the innovation industry. "Whether you are managing a product or a service, your business needs to become more open and more inclusive in order to be more innovative. Open Services Innovation will be an invaluable guide to intrepid managers who commit to making that journey." —GARY HAMEL, visiting professor, London Business School; director, Management Lab; and author, The Future of Management "I tore out page after page to share with my leaders. Chesbrough has pioneered an entire rethink of business innovation that’s rich in concept, deeply explained, with tools ready to use in every industry." —SCOTT COOK, founder and chairman of the executive committee, Intuit "Focusing on core competence often tempts managers to keep continuing what succeeded in the past. A far more important question is what capabilities are critical in the future, and Chesbrough shows how to ask and answer these issues." —CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN, Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and author, The Innovator's Dilemma "To thrive, businesses will need to master the lessons of open service innovation. Here is their one-stop guidebook with important lessons clearly and compellingly presented." —JAMES C. SPOHRER, director, IBM University Programs World-Wide "Open Innovation pioneer Henry Chesbrough breaks new ground with Open Services Innovation, a persuasive argument for the power of co-creation in the world of services." —TOM KELLEY, general manager, IDEO, and author, The Ten Faces of Innovation, The Art of Innovation "With his trademark style of beautifully explained examples, Henry Chesbrough shows how open service innovation and new business models can help you escape this product commodity trap and bring you to the next level of competition." —ALEX OSTERWALDER, author, Business Model Generation "Open Services Innovation shows how a business can redefine itself as a service organisation and tap into faster growth through shared innovation." —SIR TERRY LEAHY, chief executive, Tesco "Chesbrough shows how innovating openly with a services mindset can make you a market leader." —CHARLENE LI, author, Open Leadership, and founder, Altimeter Group




Runaway Technology


Book Description

Law can keep up with rapid technological change by reflecting our evolving understanding of how humans use language to cooperate.