Business & Computer Technologies Resource Guide

How 1,000 years of global history show why technological and economic progress is often followed by stagnation and even collapse In How Progress Ends, Carl Benedikt Frey challenges the conventional belief that economic and technological progress is inevitable. For most of human history, stagnation was the norm, and even today progress and prosperity in the world's largest, most advanced economies--the United States and China--have fallen short of expectations. To appreciate why we cannot depend on any AI-fueled great leap forward, Frey offers a remarkable and fascinating journey across the globe, spanning the past 1,000 years, to explain why some societies flourish and others fail in the wake of rapid technological change. By examining key historical moments--from the rise of the steam engine to the dawn of AI--Frey shows why technological shifts have shaped, and sometimes destabilized, entire civilizations. He explores why some leading technological powers of the past--such as Song China, the Dutch Republic, and Victorian Britain--ultimately lost their innovative edge, why some modern nations such as Japan had periods of rapid growth followed by stagnation, and why planned economies like the Soviet Union collapsed after brief surges of progress. Frey uncovers a recurring tension in history: while decentralization fosters the exploration of new technologies, bureaucracy is crucial for scaling them. When institutions fail to adapt to technological change, stagnation inevitably follows. Only by carefully balancing decentralization and bureaucracy can nations innovate and grow over the long term--findings that have worrying implications for the United States, Europe, China, and other economies today. Through a rich narrative that weaves together history, economics, and technology, How Progress Ends reveals that managing the future requires us to draw the right lessons from the past.

In this magisterial book, historian Sunil Amrith twins the stories of environment and Empire, of genocide and eco-cide, of an extraordinary expansion of human freedom and its planetary costs. Drawing on an extraordinarily rich diversity of primary sources, he reckons with the ruins of Portuguese silver mining in Peru, British gold mining in South Africa, and oil extraction in Central Asia. He explores the railroads and highways that brought humans to new terrains of battle against each other and against stubborn nature. Amrith's account of the ways in which the First and Second World Wars involved the massive mobilization not only of men, but of other natural resources from around the globe, provides an essential new way of understanding war as an irreversible reshaping of the planet. So too does this book reveal the reality of migration as consequence of environmental harm. The imperial, globe-spanning pursuit of profit, joined with new forms of energy and new possibilities of freedom from hunger and discomfort, freedom to move and explore, has brought change to every inch of the Earth. Amrith relates in gorgeous prose, and on the largest canvas, a mind-altering epic--vibrant with stories, characters, and vivid images--in which humanity might find the collective wisdom to save itself.

Statistical Analysis: The Basics provides an engaging and easy‑to‑read primer on this sometimes daunting subject. Intended for those with little or no background in mathematics or statistics, this book explores the importance of statistical analysis in the modern world by asking statistical questions about data and explains how to conduct such analyses and correctly interpret the results. Packed with everyday examples from sport, health, education, and leisure, it reinforces the understanding of core topics while avoiding the heavy use of equations and formulae. Written in a highly accessible style and adopting a hands‑on approach, each chapter is accompanied by a summary of key points, illustrations and tables, and recommendations for further reading, with the final chapter delving into the practicalities of conducting a real‑life statistical research project. Statistical Analysis: The Basics is essential reading for anyone who wishes to master the fundamentals of modern‑day statistical analysis.

Out of Poverty provides a comprehensive defence of Third World sweatshops that does not put economic efficiency over people, but instead explores methods of improving the welfare of those in Third World countries. The author explains how sweatshops provide the best opportunity for workers; and how they play an important role in development, leading to better wages and working conditions. Using economic theory, empirical evidence, and historical investigation, Powell argues that the anti-sweatshop movement would harm the very workers it intends to help by creating less-desirable alternatives and undermining development. Including a new chapter on the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, this revised and expanded second edition also explores how sweatshop wages have changed and how poverty alleviation has progressed in countries with sweatshops in the late 1990s and early 2000s and how boycotting Uyghur forced labor in China differs other sweatshop boycotts.

Become fluent in the language of money and advance of your financial goals with this clear, straightforward guide to essential definitions and easy-to-understand explanations of all the economic terminology you need to know. Understanding the economy so you can effectively manage your money is not an easy job, and it's made even more complicated by the specific, complex terminology. Even the most financially responsible people can wonder how economic forces impact their personal finance. Now, Economics in Plain English has the answers. Inside you'll find straight-forward explanations of 350 economic terms ranging from production, markets and consumer behaviors to banking and monetary policies and more! This quick and easy-to-use glossary teaches you what the term means, how the concept works, and how it is used. Read through the chapters for a solid primer in economics and refer back to specific definitions as needed when reviewing financial reports, forecasts, and documents.

Discover the ins and outs of personal finance--in a language you can actually understand--with these clear, straightforward definitions and explanations of all things finance from income and assets to credit, loans, and debt, to stocks, bonds, money markets, and more. The personal finance book you wished you had in school! Managing your money is not an easy job, and it's made even more complicated by the specific terminology used in personal finance. Reading through a loan agreement, credit card terms and conditions, or a stock market report can leave even the most financially responsible people wondering what exactly does this mean? Now, Personal Finance in Plain English has the answers. You'll find straightforward explanations of 350 personal finance terms ranging from banking and taxes to credit cards, student loans, and mortgages, to stock, cryptocurrency, retirement planning, and more. This quick, easy-to-use glossary teaches you what the term means, how the concept works, and how it is used. Read through the chapters for a solid primer in personal finance or refer to specific definitions as needed when reviewing your financial documents. Take control of your financial goals and master the complex language of finance with Personal Finance in Plain English.

What if everything we understood about gun violence was wrong?   In 2007, economist Jens Ludwig moved to the South Side of Chicago to research two big questions: Why does gun violence happen, and is there anything we can do about it? Almost two decades later, the answers aren't what he expected. Unforgiving Places is Ludwig's revelatory portrait of gun violence in America's most famously maligned city.   Disproving the popular narrative that shootings are the calculated acts of malicious or desperate people, Ludwig shows how most shootings actually grow out of a more fleeting source: interpersonal conflict, especially arguments. By examining why some arguments turn tragic while others don't, Ludwig shows gun violence to be more circumstantial--and more solvable--than our traditional approaches lead us to believe.   Drawing on decades of research and Ludwig's immersive fieldwork in Chicago, including "countless hours spent in schools, parks, playgrounds, housing developments, courtrooms, jails, police stations, police cars, and lots and lots of McDonald'ses," Unforgiving Places is a breakthrough work at the cutting edge of behavioral economics. As Ludwig shows, progress on gun violence doesn't require America to solve every other social problem first; it only requires that we find ways to intervene in the places and the ten-minute windows where human behaviors predictably go haywire.  

The incredible saga of the German-Jewish immigrants-with now familiar names like Goldman and Sachs, Kuhn and Loeb, Warburg and Schiff, Lehman and Seligman-who profoundly influenced the rise of modern finance (and so much more), from the New York Times best-selling author of Sons of Wichita Joseph Seligman arrived in the United States in 1837, with the equivalent of $100 sewn into the lining of his pants. Then came the Lehman brothers, who would open a general store in Montgomery, Alabama. Not far behind were Solomon Loeb and Marcus Goldman, among the "Forty-Eighters" fleeing a Germany that had relegated Jews to an underclass. These industrious immigrants would soon go from peddling trinkets and buying up shopkeepers' IOUs to forming what would become some of the largest investment banks in the world-Goldman Sachs, Kuhn Loeb, Lehman Brothers, J. & W. Seligman & Co. They would clash and collaborate with J. P. Morgan, E. H. Harriman, Jay Gould, and other famed tycoons of the era. And their firms would help to transform the United States from a debtor nation into a financial superpower, capitalizing American industry and underwriting some of the twentieth century's quintessential companies, like General Motors, Macy's, and Sears. Along the way, they would shape the destiny not just of American finance but of the millions of Eastern European Jews who spilled off steamships in New York Harbor in the early 1900s, including Daniel Schulman's paternal grandparents. In The Money Kings, Schulman unspools a sweeping narrative that traces the interconnected origin stories of these financial dynasties. He chronicles their paths to Wall Street dominance, as they navigated the deeply antisemitic upper class of the Gilded Age, and the complexities of the Civil War, World War I, and the Zionist movement that tested both their burgeoning empires and their identities as Americans, Germans, and Jews.

How can I take a data-driven approach to company culture? What should I measure and which metrics should I focus on? How can people analytics and behavioural science impact culture? Based on insights from the largest ever behavioural research study which examined the organizational impact of 220+ behaviours from 60 organizations, across 61 countries, Culture Analytics provides an evidence-based approach to organizational culture. It outlines the leading and lagging culture indicators, explains how to identify actionable insights from your people and culture data as well as how to apply predictive analytics to company culture. There is also guidance on the 30 employee behaviours which have the most impact on company culture and how to apply behavioural science interventions to drive these in your organization. The second part of the book covers key areas where culture analytics can be applied to drive business performance. These areas include talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement, EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion), wellbeing, psychological safety as well as resilience, strategy, innovation, change management and risk. Full of practical advice, this book also includes real world examples from Barclays, Pfizer, American Airlines, EDF Energy, Saudi Telecom Company, Cisco and Ethiad Airways. Making the complex world of people analytics and behavioural science accessible and applicable to all senior HR professionals and business leaders, Culture Analytics shows how to take a robust, evidence-based approach to company culture to drive workforce and organizational performance and deliver tangible business value.

In Decentralizing Finance: How DeFi, Digital Assets and Distributed Ledger Technology Are Transforming Finance, blockchain and digital assets expert Kenneth Bok offers an insightful exploration of the current state of decentralized finance (DeFi). As distributed ledger technology (DLT) increasingly optimizes and democratizes financial ecosystems worldwide, this book serves as a comprehensive guide to the most salient aspects of the ongoing transformation. The text delves into both crypto-native DeFi and DLT applications in regulated financial markets, providing: Comprehensive analysis of crypto-native DeFi across key areas such as its competitive landscape, infrastructure, financial instruments, activities, and applications Coverage of key risks, mitigation strategies, and regulatory frameworks, analyzed through the perspective of international financial standard-setting bodies Insight into how DLT is reshaping traditional financial systems through innovations like central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), tokenized assets, tokenized deposits, and institutional-grade DeFi platforms In a world where financial technology is rewriting the fundamental code of digital currency, the future of money is undeniably DLT-centric. How will this seismic shift interact with existing financial infrastructures? Can decentralization and traditional banking coexist and potentially synergize? This book endeavors to answer these pressing questions for financial professionals navigating these transformative times. Authored by a former Goldman Sachs trader, past Head of Growth at Zilliqa, and an early Ethereum investor with extensive experience in both traditional finance and the crypto ecosystem, Decentralizing Finance provides you with an insider's perspective on the revolution that is DeFi.

Now in its third edition, Economics: The Basics continues to provide an engaging and topical introduction to the key issues in contemporary economics. Fully updated to take into account the global recession, ongoing problems in Eurozone economies, changing patterns in world trade, housing and currency markets, it covers fundamental issues, including: * How different economic systems function * The boom and bust cycle of market economies * The impact of emerging markets * How price, supply and demand interact * The role of the banking and finance industry * Whether we can emerge from recession and reduce poverty * The impact of economics on the environment With a glossary of terms, suggestions for further reading and new case studies covering subjects such as the choices facing developing economies, the impact of growth on the price of natural resources and the aftermath of the financial crash; this comprehensive and accessible guide is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how economics works.

Learn about trade and global economic crises in The Economics Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Economics in this overview guide to the subject, great for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Economics Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in.  This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Economics, with: - More than 100 of the greatest ideas in economics - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Economics Book is a captivating introduction to historically important and emerging ideas in a field of science that often confuses newcomers, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you'll discover more than 100 of the greatest ideas, from the earliest experiences of trade to global economic crises, through exciting text and bold graphics. Your Economics Questions, Simply Explained This fresh new guide examines everything from the current financial climate of markets in turmoil and whole economies in melt-down. If you thought it was difficult to learn about this field of science, The Economics Book presents key information in a clear layout. From the earliest development of private property to the cutting-edge modern game theory, learn about centuries of economic thought, making clear even the most complex of concepts. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Economics Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

Combining a global approach with examples from everyday life, Partha Dasgupta describes the lives of two children who live very different lives in different parts of the world: in the Mid-West USA and in Ethiopia. He compares the obstacles facing them, and the processes that shape their lives, their families, and their futures. He shows how economics uncovers these processes, finds explanations for them, and how it forms policies and solutions. Along the way, Dasgupta provides an intelligent and accessible introduction to key economic factors and concepts such as individual choices, national policies, efficiency, equity, development, sustainability, dynamic equilibrium, property rights, markets, and public goods.