*SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK 2022* *A TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEARS 2022* 'A fascinating study of the tech giant and its symbiotic relationship with the Chinese government' - Guardian 'Influence Empire by Lulu Yilun Chen is so much more than the long-awaited story of Tencent and its vital everything app, WeChat, the messaging tool used by 1.3 billion people. It's also the sobering account of an entire generation of high-flying Chinese tech entrepreneurs, whose wings were clipped by the omnipotent hand of their own government.' -- Brad Stone, author of Amazon Unbound and The Everything Store ORDER NOW: the first definitive look at Tencent, one of the world's largest tech companies. __________ In 2017, a company known as Tencent overtook Facebook to become the world's fifth largest company. It was a watershed moment, a wake-up call for those in the West accustomed to regarding the global tech industry through the prism of Silicon Valley: Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft. Yet to many of the two billion-plus people who live just across the Pacific Ocean, it came as no surprise at all. Founded by the enigmatic billionaire Pony Ma, the firm that began life as a simple text-message operator invested in and created some of China's most iconic games en route to dreaming up WeChat - the Swiss Army knife super-app that combines messaging, shopping and entertainment. Through billions of dollars of global investments in marquee names from Fortnite to Tesla and a horde of start-ups, Ma's company went on to build a near-unparalleled empire of influence. In this fascinating narrative - crammed with insider interviews and exclusive details - Lulu Chen tells the story of how Tencent created the golden era of Chinese technology, and delves into key battles involving Didi, Meituan and Alibaba. It's a chronicle of critical junctures and asks just what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in China. __________ 'There's so much fascinating detail here.' -- The Times 'Lulu Yilun Chen has written a sharply informed, smart and compelling account of the rise of some of the most powerful companies in China, which also stand among the biggest and richest tech giants in the world. Despite their enormous size and power, few outside of China know of or understand these companies. Now, thanks to Influence Empire: Inside the Story of Tencent and China's Tech Ambition, that will finally change.' -- Howard French, former NY Times Shanghai bureau chief and author of Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power 'A book that tells Tencent's story has been long overdue, and Lulu Chen's account is not only comprehensive, but also a gripping business narrative. The globally influential company finally has the account it deserves.' -- David Barboza, The Wire

Industry 4.0 has transformed how businesses work. It has revolutionized conventional production processes in an innovative way, enabling greater levels of efficiency across business functions as well as facilitating a more accurate and precise decision-making process. It has changed how businesses approach, understand, and use Internet and Big Data. Previously seen as a means of communication, internet today is the very heart of Industry 4.0 as it has become the ultimate conduit to businesses creating value and leveraging competitive advantage. Industry 4.0 is already hitting the headlines on a global scale by introducing new possibilities and prospects across a variety of disciplines. However, it is not a unidimensional phenomenon. Quite the contrary, a holistic approach is essential to fully comprehend its individual, societal, and environmental repercussions which the previous three industrial revolutions failed to neither pay attention to nor to resolve. Industry 4.0 and Global Businesses: A Multidisciplinary Investigation provides a multidisciplinary perspective on the transformative effects of Industry 4.0 by aggregating original theoretical, conceptual, and empirical research. This book highlights topics ranging from international trade, b2b marketing, supply chain management, blockchain systems, big data analytics, sustainability, individuals with disabilities to smart factories, and it aims to guide researchers, practitioners as well as students.

Rank higher in search results with this guide to SEO and content building supremacy Google is not only the number one search engine in the world, it is also the number one website in the world. Only 5 percent of site visitors search past the first page of Google, so if you're not in those top ten results, you are essentially invisible. Winning the Game of Googleopoly is the ultimate roadmap to Page One Domination. The POD strategy is what gets you on that super-critical first page of Google results by increasing your page views. You'll learn how to shape your online presence for Search Engine Optimization, effectively speaking Google's language to become one of the top results returned for relevant queries. This invaluable resource provides a plan that is universal to any business in any industry, and provides expert guidance on tailoring the strategy to best suit your organization. Coverage includes an explanation of the mechanics of a search, and how to tie your website, paid ads, online reputation, social media, content, images, and video into a winning SEO strategy that pushes you to the front of the line. The Page One Domination strategy incorporates all the ways in which you can beef up your Internet presence and online reputation. This book is a clear, straightforward guide that will knock down the silos of the Internet and teach you exactly how to integrate all aspects of content creation into a synergistic, SEO strategy. Understand how search engines return results Design an effective, all-encompassing SEO strategy Create the content that gets page views and improves rank Optimize social media and video as part of an overall SEO plan The rules of SEO are always changing, and following outdated rules can actually work against you, burying you at the bottom of the pile. This book will spark a paradigm shift in how you think about SEO and gives you the tools you need to craft a strategy tailored to your specific market. To be successful, you need to be on page one of Google, and Winning the Game of Googleopoly can show you how to get there.

Volume 23B includes two chapters covering problems and implementations of solutions in e-services adoption processes in developing nations. The first documents the unequal access and ICT usage, which is known as digital divide, to be one of the major obstacles to the implementation of e-government systems. This research investigates the digital divide and its direct impact on e-government system success of local governments in Indonesia as well as indirect impact through the mediation role of trust. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of digital divide, this study introduced a new type of digital divide, the innovativeness divide. It provides details for successful policy formulation to improve e-government readiness. The second explores what needs to be done to enable consumers to adopt e-services by airlines in developing nations. It includes new theory and empirical evidence from both qualitative and quantitative studies in response to this issue. Exciting and useful chapters for executives and researchers seeking knowledge and theory of how to influence e-service adoptions in developing nations!

Few crises in modern history have so completely disrupted every aspect of daily life as has the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a small medical ripple in Wuhan, China, a city many of us had never heard of, quickly erupted into a tsunami of epic proportions. Every market, industry, vertical, profession, service, and category of product was in some way rocked by its impact. And, for the first time in recorded history, every wheel, cog and gear in the global retail industry ground to a virtual halt. From two-time, international best-selling author and futurist Doug Stephens, Resurrecting Retail is not just a riveting story of the unprecedented crash of an industry during this time of crisis but a roadmap for its rebirth. Meticulously researched in real time from inside the crisis, Resurrecting Retail provides a comprehensive and surprising vision of how COVID-19 will reshape every aspect of consumer life, including the very essence of why we shop. Above all, Resurrecting Retail provides an inspirational and actionable future vision for any business leader looking not only to survive but to thrive in a very different looking post-pandemic retail world.

Build your DTC brand by learning from the best. As consumer buying habits continue to shift, more and more brands are turning their attention to e-commerce and selling direct. However, few manage to succeed at scale. Overcome the challenges of the ever-increasing cost of marketing, the demands of customer service, complicated logistical requirements and the perils of selecting the right technology by learning from the DTC pioneers who have got it right. Read the founding stories, strategies, failures and eventual success of DTC brands such as Huel, graze, Snag, tails.com, Who Gives a Crap, Casper, Lick, allplants, Bloom & Wild and more to discover: * How they got started, what worked then and what works now * The importance of building a community and how to use data * When to consider going multichannel * Why you need a bulletproof brand * Navigating funding, margins, growth, customer service and product development and more For the first time, the best in class of DTC share their playbooks so that you can understand and build on their successes.

The internet was envisaged as a decentralised global network, but in the past 25 years it has come to be controlled by a few, very powerful, centralised companies. Blockchain is a technological paradigm shift that allows secure, reliable, and direct information transfer between individuals, organisations, and things, so that we can manage, verify, and control the use of our own data. Blockchain also offers a new opportunity for humanity to fix some major problems. It can authenticate data, manage its analysis, and automate its use. With better data comes better decision-making. In this way, Blockchain can contribute to solving climate change, reduce voting fraud, fix our identity systems, improve fair trade, and give the poor an opportunity to improve their lives by monetising their (digital) capital. A world built upon peer-to-peer transactions and smart contracts can empower individuals and communities. This book offers a fresh perspective with which to consider this transformative technology. It describes how Blockchain can optimise the processes that run our society. It provides practical solutions to global problems and offers a roadmap to incorporate Blockchain in your business. It offers a blueprint for a better world. Filled with easy-to-understand examples, this book shows how Blockchain can take over where the internet has fallen short.

'An engrossing story of audacious entrepreneurism' -- Charles Duhigg 'Captures the remarkable journey of Airbnb exceedingly well' -- Reid Hoffman 'fast paced, fun dive into one of the seminal firms of our time' -- Rana Foroohar In 2008, two broke art school graduates and their coder-whiz friend set up a platform that - in less than a decade - became one of the largest provider of accommodations in the world. Now valued at $31 billion, Airbnb is in the very top tier of Silicon Valley's 'unicorn' startups. Yet the company has not been without controversy - disrupting a $500 billion hotel industry makes you a few enemies. This is also a story of regulators who want to shut it down, hotel industry leaders who want it to disappear and neighbourhoods that struggle with private homes open for public rental. But beyond the headlines and the horror stories, Airbnb has changed the terms of travel for a whole generation - where a sense of belonging has built trust between hosts and guests seeking a more original travel experience that hotels have struggled to replicate. This is the first, definitive book to tell the remarkable story behind Airbnb in all its forms - cultural zeitgeist, hotel disruptor, enemy to regulators - and the first in-depth character study of its leader Brian Chesky, the company's curious co-founder and CEO. It reveals what got Airbnb where it is today, why they are nothing like Uber, and where they are going next.

The only comprehensive, official guide to buying and earning money on eBay Australia Written by an eBay insider with more than ten years of experience with the company, The New eBay guides you through the very basics to the more complicated--from a brief history of eBay itself to simple site navigation to every complexity of buying and selling. Whether you just want to earn a few dollars on the side or turn your hobby into a full-time business, this book explains it all. Written in clear, user-friendly language backed by simple step-by-step instructions and helpful screen grabs from the site, the book covers everything first-timers need to know and all the secrets experienced sellers wish they knew. The first complete official guide for eBay Australia written by a company insider Covers such topics as finding items and bidding on them, pricing and listing items for sale, accepting payments, tracking sales, logistics, customer service, and more Perfect for every eBay user, from part-timers to serious sellers who want to build a profitable business, The New eBay is the ideal guide for anyone who wants to get the most out of the world's most popular shopping and selling site.

This book provides a framework for evaluating big data and cloud computing based on how they evolve to fit users' needs in developing countries in key areas, such as agriculture and education. The authors discuss how this framework can be utilized by businesses, governments, and consumers to accelerate economic growth and overcome information and communication barriers. By examining the ways in which cloud computing can drive social, economic, and environmental transformation, readers gain a nuanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges these technologies offer. The authors also provide an authoritative and up-to-date account of big data's diffusion into a wide range of developing economies, such as Brazil and China, illustrating key concepts through in-depth case studies. Special attention is paid to economic development in the context of the new Sustainable Development Goals formulated by the United Nations, introducing readers to the most modern standard of economic evaluation. Students of information management, entrepreneurship, and development, as well as policy makers, researchers, and practitioners, will find Big Data and Cloud Computing for Development an interesting read and a useful reference source.

Digital marketing has gained ascendancy as the modern communication method used by most organizations through its ability to transcend geographic restrictions. Developing Digital Marketing: Relationship Perspectives provides a holistic perspective about the role of digital marketing in the global economy. Each chapter offers a different perspective about the importance of digital marketing in the knowledge economy, helping readers to understand the shift from traditional marketing to more novel and innovative forms that are derived from digital marketing functions. Themes explored throughout the book include: * Service Encounters via Social Media and Customer Relationships * Digital and Organizational Storytelling * Artificial Intelligence and Customer Experience * Sustainability Project Partnerships As the nature of these digital practices is evolving Developing Digital Marketing: Relationship Perspectives views the concept of digital marketing as now in constant flux, with the edited chapters paving the way to a better appreciation of how digital marketing is changing particularly through issues such as environmental sustainability in the current business environment.

Social media has given marketers a way to connect with consumers in an unprecedented and revolutionary way, but the very newness of this medium is as challenging as it is exciting, particularly to those who aren't 'digital natives'. This is the first textbook for students that offers a step by step guide to this newly dominant marketing discipline.

Mirroring its sister text "Digital Marketing: a Practical Approach," this book is grounded in solid academic underpinnings, but has a lighter, hands-on approach that is perfect for shorter courses and additional reading.

Chapter exercises not only help develop knowledge, but test the learners' understanding of how the various concepts and models are best used by requiring them to investigate how they are best applied in real-world scenarios.

The book is supported by the author's excellent website, which includes links to continually updated statistics as well as articles that keep the reader in touch with the constant changes to this dynamic area.

Topics covered in this book include:

• Social networking
• Consumer reviews
• Social service and support
• Real-time social media marketing
• Blogging
• Viral marketing and influencers
• Advertising on social media

And much more.

"

An Introduction to Social Media Marketing" is the first of its kind and ideal reading for students who want to work in a digital marketing environment, as well as the traditional marketer who wants to get to grips with this vibrant, and potentially lucrative facet of present-day marketing.

Join the technological revolution that's taking the financial world by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money. Whether you're building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this revised and expanded second edition provides essential detail to get you started. Bitcoin, the first successful decentralized digital currency, is still in its early stages and yet it's already spawned a multi-billion-dollar global economy open to anyone with the knowledge and passion to participate. Mastering Bitcoin provides the knowledge. You simply supply the passion. The second edition includes: A broad introduction of bitcoin and its underlying blockchain-ideal for non-technical users, investors, and business executives An explanation of the technical foundations of bitcoin and cryptographic currencies for developers, engineers, and software and systems architects Details of the bitcoin decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, transaction lifecycle, and security principles New developments such as Segregated Witness, Payment Channels, and Lightning Network A deep dive into blockchain applications, including how to combine the building blocks offered by this platform into higher-level applications User stories, analogies, examples, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts

In September 2014, a Chinese company that most Westerners had never heard of held the largest IPO in history - bigger than Google, Facebook and Twitter combined. Alibaba, now the world's largest e-commerce company, mostly escaped Western notice for over ten years, while building a customer base larger than Amazon's, and handling the bulk of e-commerce transactions in China. How did it happen? And what was it like to be along for such a revolutionary ride? In Alibaba's World, author Porter Erisman, one of Alibaba's first Western employees, who helped spearhead its international expansion, shows how Jack Ma, a Chinese schoolteacher who twice failed his college entrance exams, rose from obscurity to found Alibaba and lead it from struggling startup to the world's most dominant e-commerce player. Now, in the first English language account of Alibaba's extraordinary success, Erisman shares stories of weathering the dotcom crash, facing down eBay and Google, negotiating with the unpredictable Chinese government, and enduring the misguided advice of foreign experts, all to build the behemoth that's poised to sweep the ecommerce world today. And he analyzes Alibaba's role as a harbinger of the new global business landscape - with its focus on the East rather than the West, emerging markets over developed ones, and the nimble entrepreneur over the industry titan. As we face this near future, the story of Alibaba - and its inevitable descendants - is both essential and instructive.

Trust and New Technologies presents versatile new research that illustrates the different roles that trust plays in the marketing and management of new technologies. The authors provide a comprehensive and much needed overview of the current state of conceptual and empirical research in the topical area of trust and new technologies. Comprising of sixteen chapters, the book is divided thematically into three sections: * consumer trust in online environments * trust and mobile media * new technologies and trust within and between organizations. This enlightening book will be of great interest to scholars, practitioners and research students focusing on the applications of new technologies in marketing and management. Trust researchers across business disciplines and the social sciences will also find this timely and unique book a constructive resource.

Drawing on wide-ranging contributions from prominent international experts and discussing some of the most pressing issues facing policy makers and practitioners in the field of payment systems today, this volume provides cutting-edge perspectives on the current issues surrounding payment systems and their future. It covers a range of continually important topics, including: the form payment systems might take in the future the risks associated with this evolution the techniques being deployed to assess these risks and the implications these risks have for the respective roles of the public and private sector. Produced in association with the Bank of England, this book is fascinating reading for practitioners and policy makers in the field of payment systems, as well as students and researchers engaged with the economics of payments and central banking policy.

UnMarket to build trust and make lifelong customers! In 2009, Scott Stratten and Alison Stratten wrote the bestselling UnMarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging and began a journey that would take them around the world sharing their message of engagement with corporations, entrepreneurs, and students.They are now back with this second edition, because Everything has Changed and Nothing is Different, with all the brilliance of the first edition, plus new content and commentary to reflect the rapidly changing landscape we all live, buy, and work in today. For generations, marketing has been hypocritical. We've been taught to market to others in ways we hate being marketed to (cold-calling, flyers, ads, etc.). So why do we still keep trying the same stale marketing moves? UnMarketing shows you how to unlearn the old ways and consistently attract and engage the right customers. You'll stop just pushing out your message and praying that it sticks somewhere. Potential and current customers want to be listened to, validated, and have a platform to be heard-especially online. With UnMarketing, you'll create a relationship with your customers, and make yourself the logical choice for their needs. We know you've been told to act like other people, talk like other people, and market like all the people, but it is time for you to unlearn everything and start to UnMarket yourself. UnMarketing includes the latest information on: Idea Creation, Viral Marketing and Video, Marketing to Millennials, Authenticity, Transparency and Immediacy, Ethics and Affiliates, Social Media Platforming, UnPodcasting, Word of Mouth, Customer Service, Consumer Advocacy and Leadership. With examples of what to do, and what not to do, from small business right up to worldwide corporations in areas such as real estate, travel, service, retail, and B2B.

Sustainable development is a highly topical issue and is of critical importance to tourism as the environment is of utmost importance for the continued development and prosperity of the industry. There have been numerous texts written on sustainable tourism and the measures to mitigate and manage this but none which acknowledges Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a mechanism of doing so despite being an emerging area of research. ICT in this context refers to innovative tools which form an integrated system of software and networked equipment that facilitates data processing information sharing communication and the ability to search and select from an existing range of products and services for an organisation s benefits. Despite the symbiotic relationship, which exists between ICT and sustainable tourism, there has been little research, which has considered how the use of such technology can be used to make sustainable tourism development a more workable reality.

This opportune book is the first to provide a focus on the interrelationship of these two important topics demonstrating their synergies and providing insight into a new and innovative approach to managing sustainable tourism development. It considers the use of technology to reduce the negative impacts of tourism from both the demand and supply side perspectives. A critical review of a range of cutting edge technologies used by tourists and businesses to assess their usefulness in managing sustainable tourism development from the macro to the micro level is also discussed. It further integrates examples and practical applications to show how ICT can be an invaluable mechanism in the management of sustainable tourism development.

This cutting-edge volume provides a wealth of information on an important yet neglected subject. This book will be invaluable reading for students, researchers, academics and members of the tourism industry looking for new and innovate ways of fostering a more sustainable tourism industry.

Where do powerful strategies come from? How do some companies develop strategies that enable them to outperform others regardless of the state of their industry or the economic climate? How does a company get the essentials to work in regard to the company's strategies, such as leadership buy-in and follow through on implementations and performance management, without being slow, rigid and check-box focused? These are some of the questions asked by Arve Peder A~verland in Always On: Digital Brand Strategy in a Big Data World. This book will provide an understanding of what it takes to develop, implement and run a digital strategy but it is not meant as a rigid process document that must be strictly adhered to. Companies have different needs and live in vastly different environments. The internal structure of an organization and the market in which it competes is not going to adapt to a digital strategy process, it must find a process and methodology that works best for it. With big data emerging as a standard framework for decision making, digital strategy and governance have taken on increased importance. It's a given in today's online marketplace that you are perceived as being always on. Make sure your governance programmes for your systems and platforms keep it that way. Think fast, be agile, be ready - you're always on!

In the world of web design, if one wants to create a successful web site, one needs an effective content strategy. Return on Engagement shows web designers and developers how to implement an effective content strategy and how to stay ahead in the rapidly changing industry of web design. It presents best practices in terms of web design through a marketing function: content strategy, SEO, social media marketing, and success measurement to help web designers implement a strategy that ensures success for the site they are building. Return on Engagement shows web designers and developers how to not just design an aesthetically pleasing, functional website. This book shows those professionals how to implement marketing strategies and analysis into their website, thus ensuring its success. Nearly 3 years since the previous edition published, new best practices have been formed. Tools in which web developers use to analyze website metrics have advanced. New social media networks and communities have cropped up. New research in how audiences read and receive content has been done, subsequently refining best digital marketing practices. Return on Engagement features a step-by-step breakdown of how to use new tools, techniques, and technologies. The new edition also includes updated case studies of industry leaders who implement best practices on projects. Return on Engagement also features a regularly updated companion site that offers readers sample content, easy sharing tools, and web-based resources to help measure marketing viability of web properties.

This book constitutes papers from the workshops held at the 18th IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services, and e-Society, I3E 2019, which took place in Trondheim, Norway, in September 2019. The 11 full papers and 4 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 33 submissions to the following workshops: DTIS: Digital Transformation for an Inclusive Society TPSIE: Trust and Privacy Aspects of Smart Information Environments 3(IT): Innovative Teaching of Introductory Topics in Information Technology CROPS: CROwd-Powered e-Services

There are a lot of e-business security concerns. Knowing about e-business security issues will likely help overcome them. Keep in mind, companies that have control over their e-business are likely to prosper most. In other words, setting up and maintaining a secure e-business is essential and important to business growth. This book covers state-of-the art practices in e-business security, including privacy, trust, security of transactions, big data, cloud computing, social network, and distributed systems.

In the attention economy, online influencers are an emerging class of power brokers. How can you harness their potential? Break the Internet takes a deep dive into the influencer industry, tracing its evolution from blogging and legacy social media such as Tumblr to today's world in which YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok dominate. Digital strategist Olivia Yallop goes undercover amongst content creators to understand how online personas are built, uncovering what it is really like to live a branded life and trade in a 'social stock market'. The result is an insider account of a trend that is set to dominate our future - experts estimate that the economy of influence will be valued at $24 billion globally by 2025.