A sweeping, revisionist historical analysis of telecommunications networks, from the dawn of the republic to the 21st century. Telecommunications networks are vast, intricate, hugely costly systems for exchanging messages and information-within cities and across continents. From the Post Office and the telegraph to today's internet, these networks have sown domestic division while also acting as sources of international power. In Crossed Wires, Dan Schiller, who has conducted archival research on US telecommunications for more than forty years, recovers the extraordinary social history of the major network systems of the United States. Drawing on arrays of archival documents and secondary sources, Schiller reveals that this history has been shaped by sharp social and political conflict and is embedded in the larger history of an expansionary US political economy. Schiller argues that networks have enabled US imperialism through a a recurrent "American system" of cross-border communications. Three other key findings wind through the book. First, business users of networks—more than carriers, and certainly more than residential users—have repeatedly determined how telecommunications systems have developed. Second, despite their current importance for virtually every sphere of social life, networks have been consecrated above all to aiding the circulation of commodities. Finally, although the preferences of executives and officials have broadly determined outcomes, these elites have repeatedly had to contend against the ideas and organizations of workers, social movement activists, and other reformers. This authoritative and comprehensive revisionist history of US telecommunications argues that not technology but a dominative—and contested—political economy drove the evolution of this critical industry.

Engineers and other technical professionals are increasingly presented with the opportunity of running their own businesses as entrepreneurs. In other circumstances, particularly in times of great change in industry, they may be considered 'corporate entrepreneurs', leading divisions of larger organisations in an entrepreneurial fashion. This book aims to support the engineer finding him/herself in this position. It looks at the many issues confronting the technical professional faced with the task of leading a company, or a semi-autonomous unit within a company, with clarity and direction in a changing environment. It focuses particularly on: designing the business to meet the requirements of the marketplace financial design of the business and raising venture capital alliances and acquisitions, management buyouts and buyins The material will be useful to three groups of engineers: those who are setting up their own businesses or running companies in changing markets, those who are presented with a management-buyout opportunity, and those who wish simply to broaden their awareness of commercial issues.

The media environment of today is characterised by two critical factors: the development and adoption of ubiquitous mobile devices, and the strengthening of connectivity enabled by advances in ICT infrastructure and social media platforms. These developments have changed interactions and relationships between citizens and cultural custodians, as well as the ways archives are developed, kept, and used. Archives are now characterised by greater socialisations and networks that actively contribute to the signification of cultural heritage value. A range of new stakeholders, many of whom include the public, have sought to define what needs to be collectively remembered and forgotten. The world in which one or a few professional archivists worked on the sole mission of shaping how a society remembers is being displaced by a more democratised culture and the new generation of digitally networked archivists that are its natives. Using a range of case studies and perspectives, this book provides insights to the many ways that ubiquitous media have influenced archival practices and research, as well as the social and civic consequences of present-day archives. This book was published as a special issue of Archives and Manuscripts.

The Internet has become a staple of modern civilized life, now as vital a utility as electricity. But despite its growing influence, the Internet isn't as stable as it might seem; rather, it can be best thought of as a network of networks reliant on developing technical and social measures to function, including hardware, software, standards, and protocols. As millions of new internet users sign on each year, governing bodies need to balance evolving social ideas surrounding internet use against shifting political pressures on internet governance-or risk disconnection. Four Internets offers a revelatory new approach for conceptualizing the Internet and understanding the sometimes rival values that drive its governance and stability. Four Internets contends that the apparently monolithic "Internet" is in fact maintained by four distinct value systems-the Silicon Valley Open Internet, the Brussels Bourgeois Internet, the DC Commercial Internet, and the Beijing Paternal Internet-competing to determine the future directions of internet affordances for freedom, innovation, security, and human rights. Starting with an analysis of the original vision of an "Open Internet," the book outlines challenges facing this vision and the subsequent rise of other internets popularized through political and monetary machinations. It then unravels how tensions between these internets play out across politics, economics, and technology, and offers perspectives on potential new internets that might arise from emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and smart cities. The book closes with an evaluation of whether all these models can continue to co-exist-and what might happen if any fall away. Visionary and accessible, Four Internets lends readers the confidence to believe in a diverse yet resilient Internet through a deeper understanding of this everyday commodity.

"If we are lucky, once a decade or so a classic ethnographic study comes along that captures the essence and the interesting nuances of an emerging, strategic occupation or work group. Barley and Kunda's "Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies" is destined to be our classic for this decade. No one should be allowed to write about these itinerant professionals or propose new policies or labor market institutions to regulate or serve them unless they first read this book!"--Thomas A. Kochan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"This important book is the best account so far of the new and growing world of contract labor."--Peter Cappelli, University of Pennsylvania

"Few developments have been as heavily hyped and as poorly understood as the trend towards 'contingent employment' among the professional/technical/managerial classes. We know from statistical studies that many professionals, especially technical professionals, are hired as temporary, contract workers--but we have known very little about why they work this way or about the conditions of their labor. Barley and Kunda put flesh on the bones of these skeletal figures, exploring the diversity of motives and working conditions, as well as regularities in how they evaluate jobs, build careers, and navigate tricky relationships with employment agencies, high-tech firms, and professional peers. Gurus significantly expands our understanding of what is sometimes called 'the new economy, ' exemplifying the value of organizational ethnography and, especially in its superb account of life in labor markets, contributing distinctively to economic sociology. Moreover, the authors' prose is so clear and graceful that Gurus should becomethe book of choice for teaching sociology and organizational behavior to budding engineers and natural scientists."--Paul DiMaggio, Princeton University

"This is social science at its best: Barley and Kunda's ethnographies of itinerant technical contractors provide nuanced and compelling insights into the changing nature of work and employment today, and a revealing glimpse into the organization of the knowledge economy."--AnnaLee Saxenian, University of California, Berkeley

Thanks to inexpensive computers and data communications, the speed and volume of human communication are exponentially greater than they were even a quarter-century ago. Not since the advent of the telephone and telegraph in the nineteenth century has information technology changed daily life so radically. We are in the midst of what Gerald Brock calls a second information revolution.

Brock traces the complex history of this revolution, from its roots in World War II through the bursting bubble of the Internet economy. As he explains, the revolution sprang from an interdependent series of technological advances, entrepreneurial innovations, and changes to public policy. Innovations in radar, computers, and electronic components for defense projects translated into rapid expansion in the private sector, but some opportunities were blocked by regulatory policies. The contentious political effort to accommodate new technology while protecting beneficiaries of the earlier regulated monopoly eventually resulted in a regulatory structure that facilitated the explosive growth in data communications. Brock synthesizes these complex factors into a readable economic history of the wholesale transformation of the way we exchange and process information.

Even after six decades of India's independence, caste identity continues to be a major social marker for most Indians. Therefore, and as the author argues, questions about the role of caste in Indian society, particularly in the new and burgeoning Information and Technology (IT) industry, remain worthy of renewed and continued exploration. This book addresses pertinent issues around the role and status of caste in this new private occupational sector that boasts of merit as the ultimate equalizer. The author finds that in spite of the narrative of equality and justice, caste status continues to influence access to IT education and in the new IT occupations in India. The IT sector remains closed as a level playing ground to lower castes groups, particularly the Dalits or the most marginalized caste groups in the country while favouring upper caste members. The author addresses and analyses how at multiple levels of the IT organizational structure, existing inequalities on the basis of caste are reinforced and its deep interplay with class and gender are manifested. Locating intricate patterns of articulation of caste identity in rapidly urbanising India, the author offers valuable insights into the study of inequality and social mobility in developing societies.

This full color book offers a sweeping history of advertising. It places developments in the advertising and marketing industries within a framework of major cultural events to help readers understand the conditions under which advertising developed. Timelines of historical and advertising industry events begin each chronological section.

'Shines an incisive and entertaining light into the secretive world of the South Korean technology giant shaping our digital lives in ways we probably can't imagine' -- Brad Stone

Can the Asian giant beat Apple?

Based on years of reporting on Samsung for the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and Time from his base in South Korea, and his countless sources inside and outside the company, Geoffrey Cain offers the first deep look behind the curtains of the biggest company nobody knows.

How has this happened? Forty years ago, Samsung was a rickety Korean agricultural conglomerate that produced sugar, paper, and fertilizer. But with the rise of the PC revolution, Chairman Lee Byung-chul came up with an incredibly risky multimillion dollar plan to make Samsung a major supplier of computer chips. Lee had been wowed by a young Steve Jobs who sat down with the chairman to offer his advice, and Lee quickly became obsessed with creating a tech empire.

Today, Samsung employs over 350,000 people – over four times as many as Apple – and their revenues have grown 40 times their 1987 level. Samsung alone now make up more than 20% of South Korea’s exports and sells more smartphones than any other company in the world. And furthermore, they don’t just make their own phones, but are one of Apple’s chief supplier on technology critical to the iPhone. Yet their disastrous recall of the Galaxy Note 7, with numerous reports of phones spontaneously bursting into flames, reveals the dangers of the company's headlong attempt to overtake Apple at any cost.

A sweeping, insider account of the Korean's company's ongoing war against the likes of Google and Apple, Samsung Rising shows how a determined and fearless Asian competitor is poised to take on the giants of the tech world.

Software is more important than ever today and yet its commercial value is steadily declining. Microsoft, for instance, has seen its gross margins decrease for a decade, while startups and corporations alike are distributing free software that would have been worth millions a few years ago. Welcome to the software paradox. In this O'Reilly report, RedMonk's Stephen O'Grady explains why the real money no longer lies in software, and what it means for companies that depend on that revenue. You'll learn how this paradox came about and what your company can do in response. This book covers: Why it's growing more difficult to sell software on a standalone basis How software has come full circle, from enabler to product and back again The roles that open source, software-as-a-service, and subscriptions play How software developers have become the new kingmakers Why Microsoft, Apple, and Google epitomize this transition How the paradox has affected other tech giants, such as Oracle and Salesforce.com Strategies your software firm can explore, including alternative revenue models

This book provides the reader with the cognitive keys and practical guidelines to manage acquisitive growth in the digital era. It takes a distinct managerial perspective on acquisitions, with a relentless focus on how Enterprise Architecture (EA) relates to value creation. The book builds upon an extensive fundament of rigorous research, first-hand experiences from using Enterprise Architecture to catalyze acquisitions in several Fortune 500 companies, and a wide pool of case examples from leading firms in the US, Europe and Australia. The book is divided into three parts. Part I addresses the fundament for the book by decomposing the problem of acquisitive growth and explaining how advance in EA practices have created the potential for mitigating the challenges. Part II then details how an advanced EA capability can contribute to the different phases of an acquisition process. Lastly, Part III provides hands-on guidance on how to implement EA in the acquisition process and concludes with a summary and personal advice from the authors as notes on the journey ahead. Overall, this book explains how Enterprise Architecture can be used to unlock the value potential in acquisitions without bringing the need for a major organizational restructure. It provides managers, EA professionals, and MBA students with the cognitive keys to characterize the problems and to craft and implement effective solutions.

'You won't find a more honest, raw and helpful look into the trenches of founding a tech startup than this book' Nir Eyal, author of Hooked 'Rand Fishkin is the real deal' Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author ----------- Everyone knows how a startup story is supposed to go: a young, brilliant entrepreneur has an cool idea, drops out of college, defies the doubters, overcomes all odds, makes billions and becomes the envy of the technology world. This is not that story. Rand Fishkin, the founder and former CEO of Moz, is one of the world's leading experts on SEO. Moz is now a $45 million a year business, but Fishkin's business and reputation took 15 years to grow, and his startup began not in a Harvard dorm room but as a mother-and-son family business that fell deeply into debt. Now Fishkin pulls back the curtain on tech startup mythology, exposing the ups and downs of startup life that most CEOs would rather keep secret. For instance: a minimally viable product can be destructive if you launch at the wrong moment. Growth hacking may be the buzzword du jour, but initiatives to your business can fizzle quickly. Revenue and profitability won't protect you from layoffs. And venture capital always comes with strings attached. In Lost and Founder Fishkin reveals the mostly awful, sometimes awesome truth about startup culture with the transparency and humour that his hundreds of thousands of blog readers have come to love. Fishkin's hard-won lessons are applicable to any kind of business environment and this book can help solve your problems, and make you feel less alone for having them. ----------- 'This is a truly courageous book. It's one part business-building guide and two parts Indiana Jones-style adventure memoir' Chris Guillebeau, author of Side Hustle and The $100 Startup 'Rand Fishkin is like the industry friend we all wish we had - funny, warm, and refreshingly honest about the rollercoaster ride that is founding your own company' Julie Zhou, VP of Product Design at Facebook

This edition is fully updated to reflect the Digital Economy Act 2010 and changes to consumer protection law at EU level including the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. Analysis of recent case law is also incorporated including, amongst others, the series of trade mark actions against eBay and copyrights suits against Google as well as the implications for IT contracts of BSkyB Ltd v HP Enterprise Services UK Ltd. All chapters have been revised to take into account the rapid evolution of the ways in which we consume, generate, store and exchange information, such as cloud computing, off-shoring and Web 2.0.
Now established as a standard text on computer and information technology law, this book analyses the unique legal problems which arise from computing technology and transactions carried out through the exchange of digital information rather than human interaction. Topics covered range from contractual matters and intellectual property protection to electronic commerce, data protection and liability of internet service providers. Competition law issues are integrated into the various commercial sections as they arise to indicate their interaction with information technology law.

This book addresses software faults-a critical issue that not only reduces the quality of software, but also increases their development costs. Various models for predicting the fault-proneness of software systems have been proposed; however, most of them provide inadequate information, limiting their effectiveness. This book focuses on the prediction of number of faults in software modules, and provides readers with essential insights into the generalized architecture, different techniques, and state-of-the art literature. In addition, it covers various software fault datasets and issues that crop up when predicting number of faults. A must-read for readers seeking a "one-stop" source of information on software fault prediction and recent research trends, the book will especially benefit those interested in pursuing research in this area. At the same time, it will provide experienced researchers with a valuable summary of the latest developments.