Blockchain is a recent technology that is promising to revolutionize the way supply chains are designed and operated. Regarding its role in securing exchanges of data, this technology has remarkably changed the manner of governing the structure of the supply chain relationships and the way that transactions are made. Blockchain technology is likely to influence future supply chain practices by performing electronic integration, supporting partners' connections, and offering real-time information flows. Thus, blockchain technologies are gaining interest among both academicians and professionals. This interest concerns the conceptual level and also the practical and concrete levels of the implementation of blockchain technology in supply chains. Perspectives on Blockchain Technology and the Digitalization of the Supply Chain presents blockchain's basic concepts and pertinent methods that contributed to meeting key supply chain management objectives. It determines the current trends and challenges in the use of blockchain to enhance supply chain management. Covering topics such as communication systems, documentation systems, and supply chain evolution, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for business leaders and managers, logistics professionals, IT managers, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

'This book is about one super-important concept. You must learn about 'Strategic Inflection Points', because sooner or later you are going to live through one.' - Steve Jobs There are moments in any business when massive change occurs, when all the rules shift fast and forever. They can make or break companies and individuals, and they can happen at any moment. Andrew Grove calls such moments strategic inflection points, and he lived through several as CEO of Intel, where he transformed the company into the world's largest computer chipmaker, and the 7th most profitable company in the Fortune 500. Drawing on decades of personal experience and insight, as well as examining timeless examples from other companies, Grove reveals how to identify and exploit the key moments of change that generate either drastic failure or incredible success. Only the Paranoid Survive is a classic lesson in leadership that anyone in any industry will benefit from. Because we must all assume that something will change - and soon.

For hundreds of years, different leadership theories have been explored to try to explain exactly how and why certain people become great leaders. Research spans a discussion of personality traits, the characteristics of the situation at hand, and qualifications of the leader to try to determine what causes people to become more likely than others to take charge. This can be in various settings: CEOs, presidents and prime ministers, managing directors, governors, senators, head coaches, and more. Through the examination of first-time leadership, new theories and ideas on leadership are explored. The Handbook of Research on Innate Leadership Characteristics and Examinations of Successful First-Time Leaders is a comprehensive reference source that focuses on what qualities distinguish first-time leadership from traditional leaders, while furthering leadership theories that look at other variables such as situational factors, knowledge base, skill levels, etc. It reviews the various approaches used by first-time leadership and how each of them uniquely approaches effective leadership, key outcomes, and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Furthermore, it distinguishes between the traditional route for leadership, the gradual moving up of an individual over time to higher positions, and a first-time leadership in which an individual begins right away in a position without climbing the professional ladder. This book will attempt to draw lessons from existing first-time leadership experience and provide evidence for the appropriateness of such a route to leadership. Topics highlighted include transformational leadership, political leaders, ethical and unethical leadership, and leadership development. This book is ideal for young professionals, leaders, executives, managers, graduate students, practitioners, government officials, researchers, academicians, and students.

This edited volume expands on the existent research on anti-racist educational leadership by identifying what type of capacity building is needed for school administrators to facilitate anti-racist change in their schools. Racial inequities in education persist in part because the solutions that districts and schools choose to employ largely ignore why and how institutional and structural racism is the root cause of inequities in education. Yet, racial inequities in schooling can be redressed if districts and schools have leaders who are deeply committed to combatting racism in their daily practice and structures of schooling. This book underscores why we need more educational leaders who adopt an anti-racist stance in how they lead and are prepared to work toward racial justice and equity in a society so entrenched in racism. Through diverse perspectives and voices, including scholars in the field of educational leadership, sociologists of education, school and district administrators, and grassroots community members and activist groups, this book addresses issues related to anti-racist educational leadership at various levels.

Make Every Business Day a Masterpiece

"This fascinating book is a must-read for every leader or individual that aspires to become one. It eloquently offers tips, examples, and analogies that help the reader focus effort and attention in that noble attempt to become a better leader."
--Eric Weber, Associate Dean IESE, Business School

"Unlike explorations of leadership that too often provide 'more heat than light, ' O'Malley and Baker offer a refreshing and engaging lens that not only illuminates but inspires the reader."
--Mary C. Gentile, Creator and Director of Giving Voice to Values, and Senior Research Scholar, Babson College

"This is not another book on leadership. Its essence is that all great leaders show an intense artistry. O'Malley and Baker give leadership criteria that weave business language with a strong dose of artistic principles. A great read."
--Chuck Royce, Chairman, Royce Funds

"Impressive O'Malley and Baker have written a book that is at once entertaining, intellectually engaging, and practical--a tough combination, rarely achieved."
--Ed Greenberg, University of Colorado, coauthor of "Turbulence"

"O'Malley and Baker thoughtfully illustrate the intersections between leadership and art, explaining the requisite attributes for leadership excellence, such as focus, intellectual challenge, imagination, and authenticity."
--Josh Weston, Honorary Chairman, Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

"O'Malley and Baker have written a wonderful book that illustrates the complexities and necessities of what should be understood as the ultimate qualities of leadership."
--David Finn, Chairman, Ruder Finn, Inc.

About the Book:

Artists put their work on display for everyone to judge, accepting a position of vulnerability for want of something important to say and in the service of contributing to the common good. Artists bring people closer together by providing a forum for shared experiences. Artists challenge, excite, comfort, and motivate people, and they don't learn their craft by reading about it in a book; they practice, push themselves and their means of expression, and execute, execute, execute.

"These are exactly the same things effective business leaders do day in and day out."

In "Every Leader Is an Artist," leadership experts O'Malley and Baker employ the "leadership as an art" metaphor to its conceptual limits: leadership is an art. Literally. And leaders are artists; they just happen to work in a different medium.

This groundbreaking look at leadership offers a completely new perspective on the age-old question: What separates the effective leader from the ineffective leader? O'Malley and Baker reveal 12 key characteristics shared by great artists and leaders, including: Intention: Makes an express commitment to achieve certain exceptional ends Authenticity: Expresses individuality and personal beliefs with honesty and transparency Engagement: Challenges the intellectual capacities of employees and tests their abilities to develop creative solutions to problems Imagination: Makes surprising and unconventional departures from the ordinary that create a new sense of awareness or understanding Form: Diligently combines various communications, structures, and policies into a unified, coherent whole

"Collectively, these attributes make great leadership possible, or, in their absence, difficult," write the authors. "Their presence does not assure leadership excellence, but it does set the range of potential."

Providing the tools and techniques for developing these qualities, the authors provide vignettes that draw parallels between the personal qualities of famous artists and effective leaders.

"Every Leader Is an Artist "will make you see your own leadership characteristics with newfound clarity and help you build upon them to be the best leader you can be. After reading this book, you will never think about leadership and your responsibilities as a leader in quite the same way again.