The Second Disruption


Book Description

The Victorian period in Scotland was remarkable, with rapid changes and immense wealth coexisting alongside entrenched conservatism and great poverty. For the churches also, the Victorian period was a time of transformation - with every assumption being challenged and tested. In this context it is not surprising that some churches fragmented, and the Free Church was one of them.




Disruption


Book Description

The heart-stopping first chapter in bestselling author Jessica Shirvington's Disruption series. What if a microchip could identify your perfect match? What if it could be used against you and the ones you love? Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation's M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it. Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loved most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it. Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer -- heir to the M-Corp empire -- has become key to Maggie's plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin's involvement destroy everything she's fought for? In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking. Ages 14+




The Disruption Dilemma


Book Description

An expert in management takes on the conventional wisdom about disruption, looking at companies that proved resilient and offering managers tools for survival. “Disruption” is a business buzzword that has gotten out of control. Today everything and everyone seem to be characterized as disruptive—or, if they aren't disruptive yet, it's only a matter of time before they become so. In this book, Joshua Gans cuts through the chatter to focus on disruption in its initial use as a business term, identifying new ways to understand it and suggesting new tools to manage it. Almost twenty years ago Clayton Christensen popularized the term in his book The Innovator's Dilemma, writing of disruption as a set of risks that established firms face. Since then, few have closely examined his account. Gans does so in this book. He looks at companies that have proven resilient and those that have fallen, and explains why some companies have successfully managed disruption—Fujifilm and Canon, for example—and why some like Blockbuster and Encyclopedia Britannica have not. Departing from the conventional wisdom, Gans identifies two kinds of disruption: demand-side, when successful firms focus on their main customers and underestimate market entrants with innovations that target niche demands; and supply-side, when firms focused on developing existing competencies become incapable of developing new ones. Gans describes the full range of actions business leaders can take to deal with each type of disruption, from “self-disrupting” independent internal units to tightly integrated product development. But therein lies the disruption dilemma: A firm cannot practice both independence and integration at once. Gans shows business leaders how to choose their strategy so their firms can deal with disruption while continuing to innovate.




The Great Disruption


Book Description

It's time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. Instead we need to brace for impact, because global crisis is no longer avoidable. The 'Great Disruption' started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological change like the melting polar icecap. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our planet's ecosystems and resources. The Great Disruption offers a stark and unflinching look at the challenge humanity faces - yet also a deeply optimistic message. The coming decades will see loss, suffering and conflict as our planetary overdraft is paid. However, they will also bring out the best humanity can offer: compassion, innovation, resilience and adaptability. Gilding tells us how to fight, and win, what he calls 'the One Degree War' to prevent catastrophic warming of the earth, and how to start today. The crisis we are in represents a rare chance to replace our addiction to growth with an ethic of sustainability, and it's already happening. It's also an unmatched business opportunity: old industries will collapse while new companies literally reshape our economy. In the aftermath of the Great Disruption, we will measure 'growth' in a new way. It will mean not quantity of stuff, but quality, and happiness, of life. And, yes, there is life after shopping. The Great Disruption is an invigorating and well-informed polemic by an advocate for sustainability and climate change who has dedicated his life to campaigning for a balanced use of Earth's limited resources. It is essential reading.




Digital Disruption


Book Description

You always knew digital was going to change things, but you didn't realize how close to home it would hit. In every industry, digital competitors are taking advantage of new platforms, tools, and relationships to undercut competitors, get closer to customers, and disrupt the usual ways of doing business. The only way to compete is to evolve. James McQuivey of Forrester Research has been teaching people how to do this for over a decade. He's gone into the biggest companies, even in traditional industries like insurance and consumer packaged goods, and changed the way they think about innovation. Now he's sharing his approach with you. McQuivey will show you how Dr. Hugh Reinhoff of Ferrokin BioSciences disrupted the pharmaceutical industry, streamlining connections with doctors and regulators to bring molecules to market far faster--and then sold out for $100 million. How Charles Teague and his team of four people created Lose It!, a weight loss application that millions have adopted, achieving rapid success and undermining titans like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig in the process.




Teaching without Disruption in the Secondary School


Book Description

What is the most effective way of managing pupils' behaviour? The effective management of pupils' behaviour has long been a principle concern, not only for classroom teachers, but for all involved with the management of schools. Finding ways of motivating students, preventing disruption, whilst developing positive relationships, can be difficult to implement. Roland Chaplain argues that a multilevel approach is the key to coping with the diverse pressures of teaching and managing behaviour. This approach recognises the importance of management on individual as well as whole school levels, and not just in terms of teacher-student relationships. This well-organised and thoroughly researched book handles a variety of crucial issues with clarity and vision. A range of topics are discussed in detail, including: * teachers' personal development * whole-school level management and effective strategies to anticipate and eliminate minor disruption * classroom-level management which sets out effective routines designed to promote learning and minimise disruption * individual assessment and intervention with students who have emotional or behavioural problems. The book is enhanced throughout with evidence from contemporary research carried out by teachers and young people, which is used to support the advice and guidance offered. Each chapter includes thought-provoking activities and questions which encourage the reader to evaluate and reflect on their own practice. Teachers, student teachers, and headteachers will find this an indispensable guide.




The Great Disruption


Book Description

The Great Disruption reveals how 3D printing manufacturing will transform the world in the same way that Henry Ford's Model T upended transportation or Gutenberg's printing press started an information revolution. It traces both the impact of this disruption as it rapidly spreads around the world and affects every kind of industry imaginable, while detailing specific steps that can and should be taken right now to prepare. In exploring this radical future, The Great Disruption shows how we can position ourselves to successfully navigate this historic shift to our greatest benefit.




Tarzan Economics


Book Description

Taking the lessons learned from his years studying the rise and fall of the modern music industry, Spotify's Chief Economist has crafted “a compelling and generous read” (Scott Galloway) that provides the tools to recognize and adapt to disruption in any industry. As the chief economist at Spotify, Will Page has had the best seat in the house for witnessing—and harnessing—the power of disruptive change. Music has often been the canary in the coal mine for major technological and societal shifts, and if there’s one thing Page learned from the digital revolution, it’s that businesses must be ready to pivot. Drawing practical lessons from a variety of fresh case studies covering Radiohead, Starbucks, and even Groucho Marx, Page examines the eight principles that disruption has thrown into sharp relief as keys to survival in any sector. Businesses need to be ready and willing to change and, if necessary, be prepared to rebuild entire organizations and business models to do so. Pivoting through disruption has everything to do with being able to see the revolutionary changes around the corner, recognizing your strengths, and having the confidence to let go of the old vine of doing business and grab onto the new. A rare book of economics offering actionable takeaways in easy-to-understand language, Tarzan Economics is the must-read book for anyone staring at their own Napster moment and wishing they knew how to fail-safe their business.




Quantification of Delay and Disruption in Construction and Engineering Projects


Book Description

Delay and disruption often impacts entire projects and is prevalent throughout the entire construction and engineering industries - no project or construction professional is immune to the effects. This book is aimed at any construction professional anywhere in the world who is involved in preparing, assessing, managing and/or deciding issues concerning the assessment of additional time to complete the work, and also additional payment for delay and/or disruption to the progress of a construction or engineering project. Delay and disruption is endemic in the construction industry and leads to time and cost overruns. It is therefore essential that delays and/or disruptions are identified early so that corrective action can be taken. However, when delay and/or disruption actually occurs, the issue of quantifying the period of any delay, the effects of disruption, and the quantification of the resulting loss during, and especially at the end, of a project is complicated.




Lead and Disrupt


Book Description

In the past few years, a number of well-known firms have failed; think of Blockbuster, Kodak, or RadioShack. When we read about their demise, it often seems inevitable—a natural part of "creative destruction." But closer examination reveals a disturbing truth: Companies large and small are shuttering more quickly than ever. What does it take to buck this trend? The simple answer is: ambidexterity. Firms must remain competitive in their core markets, while also winning in new domains. Innovation guru Clayton M. Christensen has been pessimistic about whether established companies can prevail in the face of disruption, but Charles A. O'Reilly III and Michael L. Tushman know they can! The authors explain how shrewd organizations have used an ambidextrous approach to solve their own innovator's dilemma. They contrast these luminaries with companies which—often trapped by their own successes—have been unable to adapt and grow. Drawing on a vast research program and over a decade of helping companies to innovate, the authors present a set of practices to guide firms as they adopt ambidexterity. Top-down and bottom-up leaders are key to this process—a fact too often overlooked in the heated debate about innovation. But not in this case. Readers will come away with a new understanding of how to improve their existing businesses through efficiency, control, and incremental change, while also seizing new markets where flexibility, autonomy, and experimentation rule the day.