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Books > Business & Economics > Industry & industrial studies > Media, information & communication industries > Information technology industries
Hollywood and Silicon Valley have long been uncomfortable bedfellows. Out of fear of pirating and lost profits, entertainment companies have historically resisted technological changes. Conversely, high-tech companies, more concerned with technological progress, have largely ignored the needs of the entertainment industry. Nevertheless, those products that we now take for granted, such as DVDs, MP3 players, and the Internet, are all due to the synergy of technology and entertainment. The switch to digital and web formats for entertainment represents huge potential market opportunities for both Hollywood and Silicon Valley. It has opened up new possibilities for entertainment and expanded the way content is created, distributed and consumed. Consider the phenomenon of YouTube and its wildly popular user-created content, or the ability to download movies and TV shows from sites such as iTunes and watch them on your iPod or computer, anytime and anywhere. The dual forces of consumer demand and rapidly changing content distribution are combining in new ways to create changes that will strike at the very foundations of the entertainment and technology industries. Depending upon how entertainment and technology companies respond, these changes can help them prosper or put them out of business. Media companies will have to become more like technology companies; and technology companies will need to change too. Because content creation, distribution and consumption are ever more tightly linked, Hollywood will need to understand what's happening in Silicon Valley and vice versa; changes in one industry will reverberate through the other. Some companies such as AOL and Time Warner have tried and failed (at least so far) to harness these forces, while a few companies such as Disney, Intel, and Google have recently taken the initial steps. But many more companies wait, afraid to change but knowing they cannot conduct business as usual. With an insider's knowledge, researcher and consultant, Philip Meza insightfully clarifies what managers and investors in media and technology companies will need to do in order to successfully navigate today's tricky environment. Coming Attractions? Hollywood, High Tech, and the Future of Entertainment discusses the history of the key forces driving the relationship between entertainment and technology today and into the future.
In 2003, consumption of IT goods worldwide was $1.5 trillion. Asia represented twenty percent of this total. Even more telling, Asia produced about forty percent of these goods. The continued rise of Asian IT innovation will pose a challenge to the eminence of traditional IT centers, notably Silicon Valley. Making IT examines the causes as well as the major consequences of the dramatic rise of Asia in this industry. The book systematically analyzes each country's policies and results, on both a national level and, more importantly, in the innovation regions that have developed in each country: Japan's excellence in technology and manufacturing skills; Bangalore, India's late start and sudden explosion; Taiwan's Hsinchu Science-based Park's entrepreneurship and steady growth; Korea's Teheren Valley's impressive development of large companies; Singapore's initial reliance on multinational firms and its more recent switch to a home-developed strategy; and China's Zhongguancun Science Park's encouragement of investment from foreign firms while also promoting a domestic IT industry. The book outlines the difficulties in the IT industry, including Japan's tendency to keep out most foreign firms and China's poor protection of intellectual property. Developed by the team that brought readers The Silicon Valley Edge, Making IT analyzes why this region has an advantage in this industry, the similarities and differences in the countries' strategies, why companies have clustered in specific localities, and most important, what will be changing in the coming years. Making IT should leave no doubt that the United States and other countries competing in the global economy will face enormous challenges-and opportunities-responding to the rise of an innovative Asia.
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore based out of his garage. Since then, the ever-expanding enterprise has revolutionized shopping and, in many important ways, invented e-commerce as we know it. Today, Amazon is the third-most valuable company in the world, and Bezos's vast customer-oriented empire has mushroomed to include everything from cloud computing and fresh food delivery to movie production and consumer electronics. In recent years, Bezos also has invested in rocket technology, newspaper publishing, and artificial intelligence. Every arm of Bezos's business, however, is guided by a fundamental goal: to give customers what they want before they even think to ask for it. Jeff Bezos: In His Own Words offers a unique look into the mind of one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs by collecting more than 500 of Bezos's quotes on business, technology, customer service, e-commerce, innovation, entrepreneurship, and more. Meticulously curated from interviews, speeches, shareholder letters, press releases, and other sources, this book creates a comprehensive picture of Jeff Bezos, his obsessions, and what makes his ventures thrive. After more than 20 years at the helm of Amazon and its subsidiaries, Bezos continues to operate on what he calls "Day One time" in order to maintain the early experimental spirit of his business. Since the beginning, when he first saw the potential of the internet as a powerful tool for commerce, he has looked for trends and technologies that can alter not just business but daily life. Jeff Bezos: In His Own Words reveals in detail a man who wants to push the future forward―and will inspire readers to do the same.
Dale Spender is a whole-hearted convert to computing and cyberspace, but she has her concerns. How much will the Internet live up to its potential for improving the world and how much will it reinforce the gender power imbalances of the past and present? This book is about people more than computers. Her special focus is women, and what needs to be understood and done to build a more reasonable and equitable community in cyberspace -- and the rest of the world.
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. From the bestselling author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels comes the next definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the video game industry: how some of the past decade's most renowned studios fell apart-and the stories, both triumphant and tragic, of what happened next. Jason Schreier's groundbreaking reporting has earned him a place among the preeminent investigative journalists covering the world of video games. In his eagerly anticipated, deeply researched new book, Schreier trains his investigative eye on the volatility of the video game industry and the resilience of the people who work in it. The business of videogames is both a prestige industry and an opaque one. Based on dozens of first-hand interviews that cover the development of landmark games-Bioshock Infinite, Epic Mickey, Dead Space, and more-on to the shocking closures of the studios that made them, Press Reset tells the stories of how real people are affected by game studio shutdowns, and how they recover, move on, or escape the industry entirely. Schreier's insider interviews cover hostile takeovers, abusive bosses, corporate drama, bounced checks, and that one time the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling decided he was going to lead a game studio that would take out World of Warcraft. Along the way, he asks pressing questions about why, when the video game industry is more successful than ever, it's become so hard to make a stable living making video games-and whether the business of making games can change before it's too late.
The rise and spread of the Internet has accelerated the global flows of money, technology and information that are increasingly perceived as a challenge to the traditional regulatory powers of nation states and the effectiveness of their constitutions. The acceleration of these flows poses new legal and political problems to their regulation and control, as shown by recent conflicts between Google and the European Union (EU). This book investigates the transnational constitutional dimension of recent conflicts between Google and the EU in the areas of competition, taxation and human rights. More than a simple case study, it explores how the new conflicts originating from the worldwide expansion of the Internet economy are being dealt with by the institutional mechanisms available at the European level. The analysis of these conflicts exposes the tensions and contradictions between, on the one hand, legal and political systems that are limited by territory, and, on the other hand, the inherently global functioning of the Internet. The EU's promising initiatives to extend the protection of privacy in cyberspace set the stage for a broader dialogue on constitutional problems related to the enforcement of fundamental rights and the legitimate exercise of power that are common to different legal orders of world society. Nevertheless, the different ways of dealing with the competition and fiscal aspects of the conflicts with Google also indicate the same limits that are generally attributed to the very project of European integration, showing that the constitutionalization of the economy tends to outpace the constitutionalization of politics. Providing a detailed account of the unfolding of these conflicts, and their wider consequences to the future of the Internet, this book will appeal to scholars working in EU law, international law and constitutional law, as well as those in the fields of political science and sociology.
A history of the first 150 years of Cornell University Press.
Daniel Tzvetkoff was just another Brisbane teenager working for peanuts at Pizza Hut and spending much of his spare time glued to his computer. When he worked out a new method of payment processing, the online poker companies came running to him for help so they could grow their businesses. Soon he was living the American dream, raking in $3 million a week and revelling in a jet-set lifestyle of fast cars, luxury yachts and VIP nightclubs. His epic rollercoaster ride mirrored the extraordinary world of online poker, where hot-shot college students won millions from the confines of their dorms, and fortunes were won and lost. However, Tzvetkoff's move to the bright lights of Las Vegas would soon see him facing the abyss. Owing millions to the poker companies, and with the FBI hot on his trail, the boy wonder needed to pull an ace from his sleeve to keep from busting out. And when he did, it resulted in a day that sent shockwaves through the world of online poker - and saw him take the blame.
Territories of Profit compares Dell Computer, the dominant computer manufacturer of the late twentieth century, and G. F. Swift, the leading meatpacking firm of the late nineteenth century, to reveal how communications revolutions in different periods enabled businesses to innovate their operations, reorganize the structure of the firm, and reshape the geography of profit-making. By depicting the parallel experiences of Dell and Swift, which both deployed revolutionary communications technologies in their business systems and transformed patterns of development through their innovative advances, the book challenges simplified representations of the contemporary economy as historically unprecedented. Territories of Profit also incorporates information from interview sources within Dell to portray the "Dell Model" in ways never before revealed in existing studies of the PC maker.
Industrial Machinery Repair provides a practical reference for
practicing plant engineers, maintenance supervisors, physical plant
supervisors and mechanical maintenance technicians. It focuses on
the skills needed to select, install and maintain
electro-mechanical equipment in a typical industrial plant or
facility.
What accounts for the growing income inequalities in Silicon
Valley, despite huge technological and economic strides? Why have
the once-powerful labor unions declined in their influence? How are
increasing waves of immigration and ethnic diversity changing the
workplace in the Valley? "Silicon Valley, Women, and the California
Dream" examines these questions from a fresh perspective: that
provided by the history of women in Silicon Valley in the twentieth
century.
What accounts for the growing income inequalities in Silicon
Valley, despite huge technological and economic strides? Why have
the once-powerful labor unions declined in their influence? How are
increasing waves of immigration and ethnic diversity changing the
workplace in the Valley? "Silicon Valley, Women, and the California
Dream" examines these questions from a fresh perspective: that
provided by the history of women in Silicon Valley in the twentieth
century.
During the economic reforms of the last twenty years, China adopted a wide array of policies designed to raise its technological capability and foster industrial growth. Ideologically, the government would not promote private-ownership firms and instead created a hybrid concept, that of "nongovernmental enterprises" or minying qiye. Adam Segal examines the minying experience, particularly in high technology, in four key regions: Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Guangzhou. Minying enterprises have been neither clear successes nor abject failures, Segal finds. Instead, outcomes varied: though efforts to create a core of innovative high-tech firms succeeded in Beijing, minying enterprises elsewhere have languished. He points to variations in local implementation of government policies on investment, property-rights regulation, and government supervision as a key to the different outcomes. He explains these peculiarities of implementation by putting official decisions within their local contexts. Extending his analysis, he compares the experience of creating technology enterprises in China with those of Korea (the chaebol system) and Taiwan (enterprise groups). Based on interviews with entrepreneurs and local government officials, as well as numerous published primary sources, Digital Dragon is the first detailed look at a major Chinese institutional experiment and at high-tech endeavors in China. Can China become a true global economic power? The evolution of the high- technologies sector will determine, Segal says, whether China will become a modern economy or simply a large one.
One of the most important elements in the computer revolution has
been agreement on technological standards. The advances in
communication allowed by millions of computers connecting over
various networks are based on these networks sharing a common
language. This book tells the complete story of the battle between
several competing technologies in the late 1970s and early 1980s to
become the compatibility standard in one high-tech arena, the LAN
(local area network) industry.
The true story behind the rise of the world's largest technology
company.
In his bestselling books The Cult of the Amateur and The Internet is not the Answer, Andrew Keen exposed the cultural and social dangers posed by internet technology. What was once seen as a tool for connecting people and providing opportunities is now recognised as a force that is profoundly reshaping our world. In How to Fix the Future, Andrew Keen sets out a compelling manifesto for improving how we live in the digital age. Taking lessons from the world-changing events of the Industrial Revolution, he travels around the globe, from India to Estonia, Germany to Singapore, investigating the best and worst practices in regulation, innovation, social responsibility, consumer choice and education - and shows what we can do to preserve human values in an increasingly digital world.
Momentous developments in the global economy over the last two
decades have dramatically increased the availability of industrial
investment sites and lowered the cost of relocating core activities
to new countries. But how should these developments be exploited
for competitive advantage? Firms face competing pressures: scale
economies and the advantages of proximity push them to concentrate
activities in one or only a few locations, while low wages and new
markets invite dispersal across several countries.
Information technology (IT) was key to the superior overall macroeconomic performance of the United States in the 1990s-high productivity, high growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. But IT also played a role in increasing earnings dispersion in the labor market-greatly rewarding workers with high education and skills. This US performance did not happen in a global vacuum. Globalization of US IT firms promoted deeper integration of IT throughout the US economy, which in turn promoted more extensive globalization in other sectors of the US economy and labor market. How will the increasingly globalized IT industry affect US long-term growth, intermediate macro performance, and disparities in the US labor market? What policies are needed to ensure that the United States remains first in innovation, business transformation, and education and skills, which are prerequisites for US economic leadership in the 21st century? This book traces the globalization of the IT industry, its diffusion into the US economy, and the prospects and implications of more extensive technology-enabled globalization of products and services.
In recent years, information technologies such as mobile payment, search engines, cloud computing and internet finance have developed rapidly. This has greatly impacted the structure of the financial market, and is set to bring about deep changes to the global financial industry. At the same time, the advent of the digital economy has brought about more challenges to the services and products of internet finance and financial supervision.This book contains the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Internet Finance and Digital Economy (ICIFDE 2022), which focus on how existing computer and information technology can be used to solve the problems of financial services in the era of digital economy. The chapters in this volume seek to provide technical solutions to the current digital financial transaction system, data processing in the digital economy and various forms of digital transactions or financing systems. Additionally, traditional research is combined with current cutting-edge technology in proposing new developments for the finance industry.
From the creator of hit podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen ______________________________ Guns. Sex. Drugs. Murder. The Dark Net is just a click away. Beyond the familiar online world that most of us inhabit lies a vast network of sites, communities and cultures where freedom is pushed to its limits. A world that is as creative and complex as it is dangerous and disturbing. A world that is much closer than you think. The Dark Net is a revelatory examination of the internet today, and of its most innovative and dangerous subcultures, stretching from secret Facebook groups to the encrypted and hidden Tor network. In it, Bartlett goes in search of the people behind the screen, meeting trolls and pornographers, drug dealers and hackers, political extremists and computer scientists, Bitcoin programmers and self-harmers, libertarians and vigilantes. Based on extensive first-hand experience, exclusive interviews and shocking documentary evidence, The Dark Net offers a startling glimpse of human nature under the conditions of freedom and anonymity, and shines a light on an enigmatic and ever-changing world.
In today's competitive world, it is the technological strength of a nation that decides its standing in the global arena. Technology has become the prime mover behind growth and prosperity. A nation which masters technology thus derives competitive advantage and respect. India, in spite of technology denials and control regimes, has risen to the occasion and developed critical technologies for itself. The book details how these developments were nurtured through management strengths and innovative use of the nation's resource. Over the years, the author's close interaction with three of India's greatest visionary leaders- Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam- has gained him valuable experience in technology management and leadership, which became the triggering point for authoring this book. He traces past developments in technology and its status as of today, and analyses innovative strategies and techniques like the consortium approach, technology empowerment and joint ventures. Finally, the book presages future technological revolutions, their impact on society, and the organization and leadership that would be required to maintain and improve the competitive edge in a global environment.
The selected papers in this volume bear witness to a maturing of
High Technology Small Firms (HTSF) research. In the past, HTSF
research has produced some solid findings, but also several
paradoxes: shedding more light on the unintended and paradoxical
effects of technology developments regarding HTSFs is now one of
the aims of research in this field, and an observed change in the
focus of the research agenda is reflected in this book.
The importance of contemporary television broadcasting for the shaping and development of national cultures and identities is increasingly evident. Television as the privileged medium for the dissemination of information and for mass entertainment has irreversibly altered the manner in which nations perceive themselves and each other. This volume explores the multiple and complex ways in which audiovisual developments in two important European states have impacted on the life styles and attitudes of the population at large and its governing elites. This is the first study that is devoted to the highly significant roles played by France and Britain in the formulation of European audiovisual policy and that provides a truly comparative analysis of the contemporary audiovisual scene in the two countries. It consists of four complementary sections: an overview of the audiovisual landscapes in Britain and France; an analysis of television programming; an account of the new cable and satellite media, and an assessment of European audiovisual integration. Overall, this volume offers a constructive contribution to the continuing debate on national and European broadcasting.
Today, discourses on innovation are ubiquitous, as enterprises world-wide are turning their focus on innovation to sustain competitive advantage. The emerging global electronic marketplace, which is characterized by increased personal computing, improved communication networks, newer digital applications, rapidly evolving web environments and the proven fact that the internet is emerging into a global market place, is creating a radically new environment world-wide. As these technological inventions are poised to improve the way enterprises collaborate and manage their information, it is important to highlight, that the rapidity of technological change is being driven by the innovations in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and driving the design and creation of all ICT artefacts is the field of software engineering. This collective change to innovation favoured by ICTs is called 'E-Innovation' and in the present competitive landscape, the large as well as the small enterprises are depending on ICT-based innovations to sustain the lead. Today, 'E-innovation' is an emerging discipline for proactively responding to an electronic environment, whose main attribute is continuous radical change and the spread of 'E-Innovation' is driving the growth of the global economy. The delivery of traditional innovation is being enhanced through innovative applications based on the Internet. In this context, it is important to highlight E-Business as an internet-mediated integration of business processes, applications and information systems. E-Business innovations are redefining the existing business processes, besides changing the internal business processes of the firm. Against this backdrop, this volume offers a mix of articles and cases and delves into the emerging trends in e-innovation with focus on e-business innovations. |
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