How Understanding Flocks, Schools and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making and Getting Things Done. The modern world may be obsessed with speed and productivity, but twenty-first century humans actually have much to learn from the ancient instincts of swarms. A fascinating new take on the concept of collective intelligence and its colourful manifestations in some of our most complex problems, Smart Swarm introduces a compelling new understanding of the real experts on solving our own complex problems relating to such topics as business, politics, and technology. Based on extensive globe-trotting research, this lively tour from National Geographic reporter Peter Miller introduces thriving throngs of ant colonies, which have inspired computer programs for streamlining factory processes, telephone networks, and truck routes; termites, used in recent studies for climate-control solutions; schools of fish, on which the U.S. military modelled a team of robots; and many other examples of the wisdom to be gleaned about the behaviour of crowds-among critters and corporations alike. In the tradition of James Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds and the innovative works of Malcolm Gladwell, Smart Swarm is an entertaining yet enlightening look at small-scale phenomena with big implications for us all.

Depicting the painful start-and-stop process, which is an inevitable part of humankind's quest for a more enlightened world, BRUSHED by the BUTTERFLY'S WINGS presents the first three decades of the Twentieth Century as a complex period in which a visionary few are beginning to see the errancy of an unjust society and its retentive belief systems. Set in the Southern-most foothills of the Appalachians, it is a fictional account of those few, of the circumstances that propelled them and the resistance that they met; a story of human courage, which pits family member against family member and an idealistic minority against a complacent majority who can see neither a reason for nor the irreversibility of a restlessness that seethes beneath a facade of false civility on the part of some and painful acquiescence on the part of others. With a dichotomy of colorful characters, lyrical descriptions, hints of the supernatural, and flashbacks, it is a moving account of a society on the brink of change, as well as a precursor of things to come -- and from conventional wisdom, to dogmatic religiosity, to a still-latent cry for civil rights, there are no sacred cows. A must-read for anyone interested in the deterrent effects of a world more comfortable with the supposed wisdom of traditionalism than with new conceptual realities and the changing paradigms that accompany them.

Simple seeing. Plain talking. Language in use and persons in action. These are among the themes of Virgil Aldrich's writings, from the 1930's onward. Throughout these years, he has been an explorer of conceptual geography: not as a foreign visitor studying an alien land, but close up 'in the language in which we live, move, and have our being'. This is his work. It is clear to those who know him best that he also has fun at it. Yet, in the terms of his oft-cited distinction, it is equally clear that he is to be counted not among the funsters of philosophy, but among its most committed workers. Funsters are those who attempt to do epistemology, metaphysics, or analysis by appealing to examples which are purely imaginary, totally fictional, as unrealistic as you like, 'completely unheard of'. Such imaginative wilfullness takes philosophers away from, not nearer to, 'the rough ground' (Wittgenstein) where our concepts have their origin and working place. In the funsters' imagined, 'barely possible' (but actually impossible) world, simple seeing becomes transformed into the sensing of sense-data; plain talk is rejected as imprecise, vague, and misleading; and per sons in action show up as ensouled physical objects in motion. Then the fly is in the bottle, buzzing out its tedious tunes: the problem of perception of the external world; the problem of meaning and what it is; the mind-body problem. Image-mongering has got the best of image-management."

The COVID-19 crisis has taken precious lives and devastated the global economy. It has also revealed chinks in our supply chains. Not only did manufacturers find themselves scrambling unsuccessfully to find new suppliers when their Asian sources shut down, but the Western world experienced across- the-board shortages of essential consumer packaged goods for the first time in decades. The Blockchain has the potential to minimize these kinds of pandemic disruptions. In this book, the contributors show how the Blockchain can fix longstanding problems that make the business of getting goods to the customer so slow and expensive, especially in a crisis. Today's supply chains are complex, as they move things through trucks, planes, boats, and trains. Too many parties rely on a hodgepodge of documents and intermediaries to do business, which makes it slow and expensive to get goods to the customer. That's why, in a pandemic, an uninformed consumer might reasonably believe that toilet paper won't be available for many months. Enter blockchain—the Internet of Value. For the first time in human history, individuals and organizations can manage and trade their assets digitally peer to peer. In doing so, they will reinvent global commerce and how we exchange value. This will transform the best practices of operations, logistics, procurement and purchasing, transportation, customs and border control, trade finance and insurance, manufacturing, and inventory management. Supply Chain Revolution identifies what leaders should be doing now to prepare their organizations for the inevitable decentralized future. With contributions from some of the world's top experts, this book provides a view of the fast- approaching future of global supply chains, ripe for disruption at every level and in every role. Enterprise executives and entrepreneurs alike will find ideas and opportunities to learn, discuss with all their stakeholders, and decide how best to participate in the blockchain revolution.

An essential introduction and guide to navigating the next Internet revolution—everything from the metaverse and NFTs to DAOs, decentralized finance, and self-sovereign identity—from the co-author of the international bestseller Blockchain Revolution. The Web, and with it the Internet, are entering a new age. We’ve moved from the “Read-only Web,� which had little functionality for interacting with content, to the “Read-Write Web,� which offered seemingly endless collaborative opportunities, from sharing with our favorite people to shopping at our favorite brands. But the profusion of cyberattacks, data hacks, and online profiling have left many of us to view digital life as a Faustian bargain in need of a major rethink. That rethink is Web3, the “Read-Write-Own Web�—a decentralized Internet where individuals own their own identities and can securely trade assets like money, securities, intellectual property, and art peer to peer. Made possible by blockchains, the foundational technology of bitcoin, Web3 promises the biggest shake up of business since the invention of double-entry bookkeeping in the Middle Ages. It is the Internet’s new frontier. In Web3, award-winning author and technology investor Alex Tapscott provides a cutting-edge guide to the Internet’s next era. Covering everything from the metaverse and non-fungible tokens to DAOs, decentralized finance, and self-sovereign identity, this indispensable, forward-thinking book describes the building blocks and often hidden technologies that will be foundational to our cultural and economic progress.

Every pioneer takes large risks, hoping that the new frontier he seeks will provide the benefits of independence and good fortune. Don Tapscott is such a pioneer in the area of office automation. He has been a true pioneer, having entered the field in its early days and taken the risk of working not in technol ogy, which was fashionable, but in the field of the problems of organizations, which was less fashionable, but in many ways more important. The utilization of computers for data processing, accounting, inventory, and other "bread and butter" applications is now well entrenched in our society and culture. The process of designing such systems tends to focus on the needs of the company and the constraints of the equipment, leading to efficient systems with little tolerance for the variety of people who must use or interface with them. Within the office automation area, these methods do not work nearly as well. The frequency and amount of human interaction in the office environment, and the wide variety of situations and reactions there in, demands a different design methodology."

Simple seeing. Plain talking. Language in use and persons in action. These are among the themes of Virgil Aldrich's writings, from the 1930's onward. Throughout these years, he has been an explorer of conceptual geography: not as a foreign visitor studying an alien land, but close up 'in the language in which we live, move, and have our being'. This is his work. It is clear to those who know him best that he also has fun at it. Yet, in the terms of his oft-cited distinction, it is equally clear that he is to be counted not among the funsters of philosophy, but among its most committed workers. Funsters are those who attempt to do epistemology, metaphysics, or analysis by appealing to examples which are purely imaginary, totally fictional, as unrealistic as you like, 'completely unheard of'. Such imaginative wilfullness takes philosophers away from, not nearer to, 'the rough ground' (Wittgenstein) where our concepts have their origin and working place. In the funsters' imagined, 'barely possible' (but actually impossible) world, simple seeing becomes transformed into the sensing of sense-data; plain talk is rejected as imprecise, vague, and misleading; and per sons in action show up as ensouled physical objects in motion. Then the fly is in the bottle, buzzing out its tedious tunes: the problem of perception of the external world; the problem of meaning and what it is; the mind-body problem. Image-mongering has got the best of image-management."

THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ON HOW THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND BITCOIN AND CRYPTOCURRENCY IS CHANGING THE WORLD -- MAJORLY EXPANDED WITH NEW MATERIAL ON CRYPTOASSETS, ICOs, SMART CONTRACTS, DIGITAL IDENTITY AND MORE.

'This book has had an enormous impact on the evolution of blockchain in the world' Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft Corporation

'What a spectacular book. Mind-blowing in its expansiveness and profundity. It makes me think we're at one of those times in technological, economic and social history where the sky is the limit' Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer and Chief Scientist at Prima Data

'The Tapscotts have written the book, literally, on how to survive and thrive in this next wave of technology-driven disruption. Likely to become one of the iconic books of our time' Clay Christensen, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and author of The Innovator's Dilemma

'Occasionally a book comes along that changes the global discourse. This is likely to be one of those books. Blockchains are at the heart of the fourth industrial revolution and the Tapscotts lucidity explain why and how to capture the opportunity and avoid dangers' Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum

'Blockchain Revolution is a highly readable introduction to a bamboozling but increasingly important field' - Guardian

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Blockchain is the ingeniously simple technology that powers Bitcoin. But it is much more than that, too. It is a public ledger to which everyone has access, but which no single person controls. It allows for companies and individuals to collaborate with an unprecedented degree of trust and transparency. It is cryptographically secure, but fundamentally open. And soon it will be everywhere.

In Blockchain Revolution, Don and Alex Tapscott reveal how this game-changing technology will shape the future of the world economy, dramatically improving everything from healthcare records to online voting, and from insurance claims to artist royalty payments. Brilliantly researched and highly accessible, this is the essential text on the next major paradigm shift. Read it, or be left behind.

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Don Tapscott is one of the most influential living theorists on business and society. He is the bestselling author of Wikinomics, The Digital Economy, and a dozen other acclaimed books about tech­nology, business, and society.

Alex Tapscott is the CEO of NextBlock Global a digital asset company. Previously, he worked for seven years in investment banking in New York and Toronto.

Can blockchain solve your biggest business problem? While the world is transfixed by bitcoin mania, your competitors are tuning out the noise and making strategic bets on blockchain. Your rivals are effortlessly tracking every last link in their supply chains. They're making bureaucratic paper trails obsolete while keeping their customers' data safer and discovering new ways to use this next foundational technology to sustain their competitive advantage. What should you be doing with blockchain now to ensure that your business is poised for success? "Blockchain: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review" brings you today's most essential thinking on blockchain, explains how to get the right initiatives started at your company, and prepares you to seize the opportunity of the coming blockchain wave. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues--blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more--each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas--and prepare you and your company for the future.

Winner of the 2010 PROSE Award for Best Business, Finance, & Management Book

"One Report" refers to an emerging trend in business taking place throughout the world where companies are going beyond separate reports for financial and nonfinancial (e.g., corporate social responsibility or sustainability) results and integrating both into a single integrated report. At the same time, they are also leveraging the Internet to provide more detailed results to all of their stakeholders and for improving their level of dialogue and engagement with them. Providing best practice examples from companies around the world, "One Report" shows how integrated reporting adds tremendous value to the company and all of its stakeholders, including shareholders, and also ultimately contributes to a sustainable society.Focuses on the emerging trend of integrated reporting as a top priority for companies, investors, regulators, auditors and civil societyProvides compelling case studies from some of the world's leading companies doing integrated reportingAddresses how companies can move toward One Report and how it can become a keystone of a sustainable strategy for both the company and societyExplains what others-such as analysts, shareholders, other stakeholders, auditors, regulators, legislators, and civil society-need to do to enable the rapid and broad adoption of One Report

Filled with case studies and the most current trends on integrated reporting, this book is an invaluable guidebook on the future of reporting and how this future can lead to a sustainable society.

An International Bestseller. An Economist Book of the Year. A Financial Times Book of the Year. Shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year. Wikinomics shows how businesses can collaborate creatively with their customers to succeed in the age of Wikipedia, YouTube and Linux: 'The Number 1 must-read... A breathtaking piece of work.' Tom Peters. The knowledge, resources and computing power of billions of people are self-organizing into a massive, new collective force. Interconnected and orchestrated via blogs, wikis, chat rooms, peer-to-peer networks, and personal broadcasting, the web is being reinvented to provide the first global platform for collaboration in history.

Translated into more than 20 languages and named one of the best business books of the year by reviewers around the world, "Wikinomics" has become essential reading for business people everywhere as it explains how mass collaboration is happening not just at Web sites but at traditional companies.

In recent years, scholars have noted the rise of a particular type of authoritarianism worldwide, in which rulers manipulate institutions designed to implement the rule of law so that they instead facilitate the exercise of arbitrary power. Even as scholars puzzle over this seemingly new phenomenon, scholarship on African politics offers helpful answers. This book places literature on the post-colonial African state in conversation with literature on modern authoritarianism, using this to frame over ten months of qualitative field research on Uganda's informal security actors - including vigilante groups, local militias, and community police. Based on this research, the book presents an original framework - called 'institutionalized arbitrariness' - to explain how modern authoritarian rulers project arbitrary power even in environments of relatively functional state institutions, checks and balances and the rule of law. In regimes characterized by institutionalized arbitrariness, the state's stochastic assertions and withdrawals of power inject unpredictability into the political relationship between both local authorities and citizens. This arrangement makes it difficult for citizens to predict which authority, if any, will claim jurisdiction in a given scenario, and what rules will apply. This environment of pervasive political unpredictability limits space for collective action and political claim-making, while keeping citizens marginally engaged in the democratic process. The book is grounded in empirical research and literature theorizing the African state, while seeking to inform a broader debate about contemporary forms of authoritarianism, state-building, and state consolidation. Oxford Studies in African Politics and International Relations is a series for scholars and students working on African politics and International Relations and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on contemporary developments in African political science, political economy, and International Relations, such as electoral politics, democratization, decentralization, gender and political representation, the political impact of natural resources, the dynamics and consequences of conflict, comparative political thought, and the nature of the continent's engagement with the East and West. Comparative and mixed methods work is particularly encouraged, as is interdisciplinary research and work that considers ethical issues relating to the study of Africa. Case studies are welcomed but should demonstrate the broader theoretical and empirical implications of the study and its wider relevance to contemporary debates. The focus of the series is on sub-Saharan Africa, although proposals that explain how the region engages with North Africa and other parts of the world are of interest. Series Editors: Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy and International Development, University of Birmingham; Peace Medie, Senior Lecturer in Gender and International Politics, University of Bristol; and Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Professor of the International Politics of Africa, University of Oxford. This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.

"Tapscott, ganz praxisbezogen, wendet sich an den erfolgreichen Unternehmer oder Manager von morgen - und schlagt folgerichtig einen optimistisch-zuratenden Grundton an ..."
Die Zeit

The idea of a democratic developmental state forms part of the current development discourse advocated by international aid agencies, deliberated on by academics, and embraced by policy makers in many emerging economies in the global South. What is noticeable in this discourse is how little attention has been paid to a discussion of the essence of a democratic developmental state, and much of what passes for theory is little more than policy speak and political rhetoric. This volume fills a gap in the literature on the democratic developmental state. Analyzing the different approaches to the implementation of democratic developmental states in various countries in the South, it evaluates the extent to which these are merely replicating the central tenets of the East Asian model of the developmental state or if they are succeeding in their attempts to establish a new and more inclusive conceptualization of the state. In particular, the authors scrutinize to what degree the attempts to build a democratic developmental state may be distorted by the imperatives of neoliberalism. The volume broadens the understanding of the Nordic model of a democratic developmental state and shows how it represents an additional, and perhaps contending understanding of the developmental state derived from the East Asian experience.

Die Netz-Generation ist da, die Generation N. Sie wird fast vollkommen durch digitale Technologie und interaktive Medien gepragt. Don Tapscott beschreibt, wie Millionen Kinder und Jugendliche mit dem Internet aufwachsen: wie sie spielen, lernen und arbeiten, wie sie kommunizieren, einkaufen und kreativ sind. Ihr Verhalten in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft ist schon jetzt vollkommen anders als das der Generation X und unser derzeit bestimmendes. Tapscott zeigt, warum es so grundlegend verschieden ist und was das fur unser morgiges Leben und Lernen, Arbeiten und Wirtschaften bedeutet: eine Revolution, getragen von der digitalen Generation.