- Table View
- List View
Hostile Takeover
by David SirotaDo you ever wonder what corporations get for the millions of dollars they pour into the American political system? Do you ever think the government has been hijacked by forces hostile to average Americans? Do you ever want to fight back? Millions of Americans lack health care and millions more struggle to afford it. Politicians claim they care, then pass legislation that just sends more cash to the HMOs. Wages have been stagnant for thirty years, even as corporate profits skyrocket. Politicians say they want to fix the problem and then pass bills written by lobbyists that drive wages even lower and punish those crushed by debt. Jobs are being shipped overseas, pensions are being cut, and energy is becoming unaffordable. And our government, more concerned about maintaining its corporate sponsorship than protecting its citizens, does nothing about it. In Hostile Takeover, David Sirota, a major new voice in American politics, seeks to open the eyes of ordinary Americans to the fact that corporate interests have undermined democracy, aided and abetted by their lackeys in our allegedly representative government. At a time when more and more of America's major political leaders are being indicted or investigated for corruption, Sirota takes readers on a journey that shows how all of this nefarious behavior happened right under our noses- and how the high-profile scandals are merely one product of a political system and debate wholly owned by Big Money interests. Sirota considers major public issues that feel intractable--like spiraling health care costs, the outsourcing of jobs, the inequities of the tax code, and out-of-control energy prices--and shows how in each case workable solutions are buried under the lies of lobbyists, the influence of campaign cash, and the ubiquitous spin machine financed by Big Business. With fiery passion, pinpoint wit, and lucid analysis, Hostile Takeover reveals the true enemies of reform and their increasingly sophisticated- and hostile- tactics. It's an essential guidebook for those of us tired of the government selling us out- and determined to take our country back.
Hosting States and Unsettled Guests: Eritrean Refugees in a Time of Migration Deterrence (Worlds in Crisis: Refugees, Asylum, and Forced Migration)
by Jennifer Riggan Amanda PooleAs wealthy countries build walls to keep migrants out, countries in the Global South are celebrated for their hospitality towards refugees. Hosting States and Unsettled Guests asks the question: did these policies enable refugees to consider their new country home?Beginning in 2016, Ethiopia promoted local integration, economic opportunities, and access to education for refugees in order to encourage them to stay long-term rather than migrate towards Europe. But by 2020 a political overhaul and the outbreak of war in Northern Ethiopia foreclosed these opportunities, particularly for Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia. How did Eritrean refugees envision their future in light of the discrepancy between promising policies and ongoing instability? Using ethnographic interviews and participant observation with government officials, NGOs, and refugees in three camps in northern Ethiopia and Addis Ababa, Jennifer Riggan and Amanda Poole explore refugee notions of progress, care, hope, and futurity. Caught at the intersection of teleological violence and temporal agency, refugees endure the present and tenaciously produce a sense of the future even when their efforts to progress are repeatedly challenged. An important read, Hosting States and Unsettled Guests makes key empirical and theoretical contributions in forced migration studies, East African studies, anthropology and international education. Riggan and Poole deftly shift the focus of refugee studies away from Europe to regions in the Global South to understand the violence of emerging forms of migration deterrence.
Hosting the Olympic Games: Uncertainty, Debates and Controversy (Advances in Tourism)
by Marie Delaplace Pierre-Olaf SchutHosting the Olympic Games: Uncertainty, Debates and Controversy provides a broad and comprehensive analysis of past Olympic and Paralympic events, shedding critical light on the future of the Games with a specific look at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. It draws attention to the debates and paradox that hosting the Games presents for the contemporary city. Employing a range of interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approaches, individual chapters highlight the various controversies of the Games throughout the bidding process, the event itself and its aftermath. Social Science-based chapters place strong emphasis on the vital importance of sustainable strategy for contemporary host cities. Along with environmental concerns whether atmospheric, microbiological or otherwise, many other requirements, costs and risks involving security and public expenditure among others are explored throughout the book. Including a variety of international and comparative case studies from a range of contributing academics, this will be essential reading for students and researchers in the field of Event studies as well as various disciplines including Tourism, Heritage studies and Urban and Environmental studies.
Hot (broke) Messes: How to have your Latte and Drink it Too
by Nancy Trejos31-year-old Nancy Trejos was supposed to be an expert on handling her money - after all, she's the personal finance columnist for one of the nation's leading newspapers, The Washington Post . But a few months ago, she found herself in her own dire financial straits. Faced with a mountain of bills, debt, and no way to pay her rent, she was forced to call her parents to ask them for a loan. That night was a wake-up call - she vowed to get herself out of debt and into financial solvency. In Hot Broke Messes , Trejos takes readers along with her on her journey. She meets with a financial planner and a therapist to deal with all the issues young people face today - from credit card debt and student loans, to impulse buying and emotional spending, to the cost of having a social life, to buying a house with someone during a potentially impermanent relationship and more. Trejos learns what causes these problems in herself, how she can fix them, and how she can pass that advice on to other young people going through the same experiences. Even better, she shows readers how they can address these problems without completely giving up their lives - no "give up your latte a day" type advice here! Trejos' personal and unique voice, along with her experiences that everyone can relate to, will lead readers to relatively painless financial security.
Hot Button Marketing
by Barry FeigConsumers buy products for two reasons--the rational reason and the real reason. Hot Button Marketing shows marketers and sales people how to identify and push the hot buttons that will get consumers to prefer and purchase their products over a competitor's--even if it's a so-called parity product! The book explains how hot buttons came about and how they satisfy consumers' inner drives and needs, as well as the sixteen hot buttons that drive consumer behavior.
Hot Chicken Takeover
by William R. Kerr Manjari Raman Olivia HullBy December 2018, entrepreneur Joe DeLoss's fried chicken company, Hot Chicken Takeover, has opened three restaurants in Columbus, Ohio using an unconventional employment model that helps people with criminal records get back on their feet. DeLoss is proud of the supportive employment environment he has cultivated, but wonders how to scale it beyond Columbus.
Hot Coal, Cold Steel: Russian and Ukrainian Workers from the End of the Soviet Union to the Post-communist Transformations
by Stephen CrowleyWell after the disintegration of the Communist Party and the Soviet state--and through several years of economic collapse--industrial workers in almost every sector of the former Soviet Union have remained quiescent and the same ineffective and unpopular trade unions still hold a virtual monopoly on worker's representation. Why? While many argue that labor is a central variable in the development of economic and political systems, little is known about workers in the states of the former Soviet Union since the fall of Communism. In a comparative study of two groups of industrial workers--the coal miners and steelworkers--at the end of the Soviet era, Stephen Crowley sheds light on where these workers have been and where they are going. Coal miners in the final years of the Soviet Union effectively organized and led strikes which supported the end of Communism, even though their heavy subsidies would be threatened by capitalism. Steel workers, in contrast, did not effectively organize and strike. This pattern has continued under the new governments, with the coal miners effectively organized and seeking protection from the worst consequences of marketization, while the steel workers remain weakly organized despite deteriorating economic conditions. Based on extensive on-site research including interviews with miners and steelworkers, labor leaders and plant managers, Crowley develops a detailed picture of the conditions under which workers organize. His findings have application beyond the conditions of post-Communist Russia and Ukraine to other societies undergoing fundamental change.
Hot Commodities
by Jim RogersThe next bull market is here. It's not in stocks. It's not in bonds. It's in commodities -and some smart investors will be riding that bull to record returns in the next decade.Before Jim Rogers hit the road to write his bestselling books Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist, he was one of the world's most successful investors. He cofounded the Quantum Fund and made so much money that he never needed to work again. Yet despite his success, Rogers has never written a book of practical investment advice-until now. In Hot Commodities, Rogers offers the lowdown on the most lucrative markets for today and tomorrow. In 1998, gliding under the radar, a bull market in commodities began. Rogers thinks it's going to continue for at least fifteen years-and he's put his money where his mouth is: In 1998, he started his own commodities index fund. It's up 165% since then, with more than $200 million invested, and it's the single-best performing index fund in the world in any asset class. Less risky than stocks and less sluggish than bonds,, commodities are where the money is-and will be in the years ahead. Rogers's strategies are simple and straightforward. You can start small-a few thousand dollars will suffice. It's all about putting your money into stuff you understand, the basic materials of everyday life, like coal, sugar, cotton, corn, or crude oil. Once you recognize the cyclical and historical trading patterns outlined here, you'll be on your way.In language that is both colorful and accessible, but Rogers explains why the world of commodity investing can be one of the simplest of all-and how commodities are the bases by which investors can value companies, markets, and whole economies. To be a truly great investor is to know something about commodities.For small investors and high rollers alike, Hot Commodities is as good as gold . . . or lead, or aluminum, which are some of the commodities Rogers says could be as rewarding for investors.From the Hardcover edition.
Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably In The World's Best Market
by Jim RogersThe next bull market is here. It's not in stocks. It's not in bonds. It's in commodities - and some smart investors will be riding that bull to record returns in the next decade. Before Jim Rogers hit the road to write his best-selling books Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist, he was one of the world's most successful investors. He co-founded the Quantum Fund and made so much money that he never needed to work again. Yet despite his success, Rogers has never written a book of practical investment advice - until now. In Hot Commodities, Rogers offers the low-down on the most lucrative markets for today and tomorrow. In late 1998, gliding under the radar, a bull market in commodities began. Rogers thinks it's going to continue for at least fifteen years - and he's put his money where his mouth is: In 1998, he started his own commodities index fund. It's up 165% since then, with more than $200 million invested, and it's the single-best performing index fund in the world in any asset class. Less risky than stocks and less sluggish than bonds, commodities are where the money is - and will be in the years ahead. Rogers's strategies are simple and straightforward. You can start small - a few thousand dollars will suffice. It's all about putting your money into stuff you understand, the basic materials of everyday life, like copper, sugar, cotton, corn, or crude oil. Once you recognize the cyclical and historical trading patterns outlined here, you'll be on your way. In language that is both colourful and accessible, Rogers explains why the world of commodity investing can be one of the simplest of all - and how commodities are the bases by which investors can value companies, markets, and whole economies. To be a truly great investor is to know something about commodities. For small investors and high rollers alike, Hot Commodities is as good as gold . . . or lead, or aluminium, which are some of the commodities Rogers says could be as rewarding for investors.
Hot Groups
by Jean Lipman-Blumen Harold J. LeavittRigid, old corporate styles, like the inflexible steel and stone headquarters that symbolized them, are fast becoming quaint vestiges of things past. Many of today's managers are beginning to understand that encouraging some behaviors at the edge of accepted organizational propriety can actually help their companies achieve success in this new competitive environment. And hot groups are helping organizations do just that. Based on years of observing and participating in hot groups, the authors describe the conditions under which such groups flourish, the behaviors they exhibit, the type of leadership they require, and the benefits they bring. For those executives who believe that more hot groups might help stir the hearts and minds of their people, there remains the question of how to make them happen. The authors offer suggestions that managers can follow to create an environment fertile enough to allow hot groups to grow.
Hot Lemon and Honey: Reflections for Success in Times of Stress and Change
by Catherine DevryeSome suggestions to solve job-related congestions.
Hot Property: The Housing Market in Major Cities
by Paul Hilbers Rob Nijskens Melanie Lohuis Willem HeeringaThis open access book discusses booming housing markets in cities around the globe, and the resulting challenges for policymakers and central banks. Cities are booming everywhere, leading to a growing demand for urban housing. In many cities this demand is out-pacing supply, which causes house prices to soar and increases the pressure on rental markets. These developments are posing major challenges for policymakers, central banks and other authorities responsible for ensuring financial stability, and economic well-being in general.This volume collects views from high-level policymakers and researchers, providing essential insights into these challenges, their impact on society, the economy and financial stability, and possible policy responses. The respective chapters address issues such as the popularity of cities, the question of a credit-fueled housing bubble, the role of housing supply frictions and potential policy solutions. Given its scope, the book offers a revealing read and valuable guide for everyone involved in practical policymaking for housing markets, mortgage credit and financial stability.
Hot Prospects
by Bill GoodWhatever good or service you're selling, five likely customers are worth a hundred random names. No one can help you find new business by finding those five -- or five hundred, or fifty thousand -- best-qualified customers better than Bill Good. For over a decade, Bill Good's guide to increasing new business by finding the right prospective customers has been an invaluable resource to people in every imaginable profession involving selling. Now completely revised and updated to include lessons on how email, fax machines, and the Internet can be incorporated into an effective prospecting and selling campaign, it is the most valuable tool a salesperson can own. Anyone who does any prospecting or selling by phone -- from securities, insurance, and real estate to fund-raising -- knows the frustrations and rejections inherent in "cold calling." Many people come to fear it. But why should this be so? Certainly there are people out there who need and want the product you're selling. If only you could more efficiently generate a list of just those people, weed out the hopeless cases, and launch a simple and highly effective campaign to win them to your side. Prospecting Your Way to Sales Success shows you how to do just that. Bill Good draws on all he's learned from a long, successful career teaching companies and individual entrepreneurs how to create successful prospecting campaigns. He jettisons the stale, old-school, don't-believe-a-customer-who-says-no philosophy for a plan of attack that finds good prospects while quickly screening out unqualified, uninterested customers. From the first contact to the final close, Bill Good will help you design a complete, customized prospecting campaign. In this new revised edition, bursting with fresh ideas for incorporating new media and new technologies into his proven campaign strategies, Bill Good has updated a classic and given salespeople everywhere a book they can't afford to live without.
Hot Rods and Custom Cars of the Sacramento Delta
by John V. CallahanThe Sacramento Delta has produced some of the finest hot rods and custom cars ever made. The passion of the area's builders is evident in the incredible cars they created, which drew nationwide attention. Harry Westerguard, who taught George Barris bodywork, worked on the second "America's Most Beautiful Roadster"----a 1923 "T" that was a style-setter for its day. Bob Dron built his first custom when he was only fifteen and a half, and Lenny Byer created his own "Candy Apple Red" in Rio Vista. Detroit might have had its vision, but the Delta region built its own. Discover the stories behind the cars and their builders as author John V. Callahan takes us on a trip down memory lane.
Hot Seat: Hard-won Lessons in Challenging Times
by Jeff ImmeltThe former CEO of General Electric, one of the most influential CEO's, shares the ideas and values of leadership he learned through times of crises. Jeff Immelt has always been one of my leadership role models. He leads with head and heart. This book shows how leadership is a full contact sport and Jeff leaves everything on the field. - John Donahoe, CEO, NikeRead this book. You'll be a better leader for it. - David Rogier, Founder and CEO, MasterClass__________In September 2001, Jeff Immelt replaced the most famous CEO in history, Jack Welch, at the helm of General Electric. Less than a week into his tenure, the 9/11 terrorist attacks shook the nation, and the company, to its core. GE was connected to nearly every part of the tragedy-GE-financed planes powered by GE-manufactured engines had just destroyed real estate that was insured by GE-issued policies. Facing an unprecedented situation, Immelt knew his response would set the tone for businesses everywhere that looked to GE-one of America's biggest and most-heralded corporations-for direction. No pressure.Over the next sixteen years, Immelt would lead GE through many more dire moments, from the 2008-09 Global Financial Crisis to the 2011 meltdown of Fukushima's nuclear reactors, which were designed by GE. But Immelt's biggest challenge was inherited: Welch had handed over a company that had great people, but was short on innovation. Immelt set out to change GE's focus by making it more global, more rooted in technology, and more diverse. But the stock market rarely rewarded his efforts, and GE struggled.In Hot Seat, Immelt offers a rigorous, candid interrogation of himself and his tenure, detailing for the first time his proudest moments and his biggest mistakes. The most crucial component of leadership, he writes, is the willingness to make decisions. But knowing what to do is a thousand times easier than knowing when to do it. Perseverance, combined with clear communication, can ensure progress, if not perfection, he says. That won't protect any CEO from second-guessing, but Immelt explains how he's pushed through even the most withering criticism: by staying focused on his team and the goals they tried to achieve. As the business world continues to be rocked by stunning economic upheaval, Hot Seat is an urgently needed, and unusually raw, source of authoritative guidance for decisive leadership in uncertain times.__________A memoir of successful leadership in times of crisis: the former CEO of General Electric, named one of the "World's Best CEOs" three times by Barron's, shares the hard-won lessons he learned from his experience leading GE immediately after 9/11, through the economic devastation of the 2008-09 financial crisis, and into an increasingly globalized world.
Hot Seat: Hard-won Lessons in Challenging Times
by Jeff ImmeltThe raw, page-turning, inspiring story of Jeff Immelt's 16 years leading the iconic General Electric. The former CEO of General Electric, one of the most influential CEO's, shares the ideas and values of leadership he learned through times of crises. Jeff Immelt has always been one of my leadership role models. He leads with head and heart. This book shows how leadership is a full contact sport and Jeff leaves everything on the field. - John Donahoe, CEO, NikeRead this book. You'll be a better leader for it. - David Rogier, Founder and CEO, MasterClass__________In September 2001, Jeff Immelt replaced the most famous CEO in history, Jack Welch, at the helm of General Electric. Less than a week into his tenure, the 9/11 terrorist attacks shook the nation, and the company, to its core. GE was connected to nearly every part of the tragedy-GE-financed planes powered by GE-manufactured engines had just destroyed real estate that was insured by GE-issued policies. Facing an unprecedented situation, Immelt knew his response would set the tone for businesses everywhere that looked to GE-one of America's biggest and most-heralded corporations-for direction. No pressure.Over the next sixteen years, Immelt would lead GE through many more dire moments, from the 2008-09 Global Financial Crisis to the 2011 meltdown of Fukushima's nuclear reactors, which were designed by GE. But Immelt's biggest challenge was inherited: Welch had handed over a company that had great people, but was short on innovation. Immelt set out to change GE's focus by making it more global, more rooted in technology, and more diverse. But the stock market rarely rewarded his efforts, and GE struggled.In Hot Seat, Immelt offers a rigorous, candid interrogation of himself and his tenure, detailing for the first time his proudest moments and his biggest mistakes. The most crucial component of leadership, he writes, is the willingness to make decisions. But knowing what to do is a thousand times easier than knowing when to do it. Perseverance, combined with clear communication, can ensure progress, if not perfection, he says. That won't protect any CEO from second-guessing, but Immelt explains how he's pushed through even the most withering criticism: by staying focused on his team and the goals they tried to achieve. As the business world continues to be rocked by stunning economic upheaval, Hot Seat is an urgently needed, and unusually raw, source of authoritative guidance for decisive leadership in uncertain times.__________A memoir of successful leadership in times of crisis: the former CEO of General Electric, named one of the "World's Best CEOs" three times by Barron's, shares the hard-won lessons he learned from his experience leading GE immediately after 9/11, through the economic devastation of the 2008-09 financial crisis, and into an increasingly globalized world.(P) 2021 Simon & Schuster Inc
Hot Seat: The Startup CEO Guidebook
by Dan ShapiroWhat avoidable problem destroys more young startups than any other?Why is it a mistake to ask for introductions to investors?When do you play the CEO card?Should you sell out?Author and four-time founder/CEO Dan Shapiro tells the stories of dozens of startups whose companies lived and died by the advice in these pages. From inception to destruction and triumph to despair, this rollercoaster read takes aspiring entrepreneurs from the highs of billion-dollar payouts and market-smashing success to the depths of impostor syndrome and bankruptcy.Hot Seat is divided into the five phases of the startup CEO experience:Founding explains how to formulate your idea, allocate equity, and not argue yourself to deathFunding provides the keys to venture capital, angels, and crowdfunding, plus clear advice on which approach to chooseLeadership lays out a path to build a strategy and culture for your team that will survive good times and badManagement reveals how to manage your board, argue with your team, and play the CEO cardEndgame explains how to finish a company's existence with grace, wealth, and minimal litigation
Hot Seat: What I Learned Leading a Great American Company
by Jeff ImmeltA memoir of successful leadership in times of crisis: the former CEO of General Electric, named one of the &“World&’s Best CEOs&” three times by Barron&’s, shares the hard-won lessons he learned from his experience leading GE immediately after 9/11, through the economic devastation of the 2008–09 financial crisis, and into an increasingly globalized world.In September 2001, Jeff Immelt replaced the most famous CEO in history, Jack Welch, at the helm of General Electric. Less than a week into his tenure, the 9/11 terrorist attacks shook the nation, and the company, to its core. GE was connected to nearly every part of the tragedy—GE-financed planes powered by GE-manufactured engines had just destroyed real estate that was insured by GE-issued policies. Facing an unprecedented situation, Immelt knew his response would set the tone for businesses everywhere that looked to GE—one of America&’s biggest and most-heralded corporations—for direction. No pressure. Over the next sixteen years, Immelt would lead GE through many more dire moments, from the 2008–09 Global Financial Crisis to the 2011 meltdown of Fukushima&’s nuclear reactors, which were designed by GE. But Immelt&’s biggest challenge was inherited: Welch had handed over a company that had great people, but was short on innovation. Immelt set out to change GE&’s focus by making it more global, more rooted in technology, and more diverse. But the stock market rarely rewarded his efforts, and GE struggled. In Hot Seat, Immelt offers a rigorous, candid interrogation of himself and his tenure, detailing for the first time his proudest moments and his biggest mistakes. The most crucial component of leadership, he writes, is the willingness to make decisions. But knowing what to do is a thousand times easier than knowing when to do it. Perseverance, combined with clear communication, can ensure progress, if not perfection, he says. That won&’t protect any CEO from second-guessing, but Immelt explains how he&’s pushed through even the most withering criticism: by staying focused on his team and the goals they tried to achieve. As the business world continues to be rocked by stunning economic upheaval, Hot Seat is an urgently needed, and unusually raw, source of authoritative guidance for decisive leadership in uncertain times.
Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy - And Others Don't
by Lynda GrattonYou always know when you are in a Hot Spot. You feel energized and vibrantly alive. Your brain is buzzing with ideas, and the people around you share your joy and excitement. Things you've always known become clearer, adding value becomes more possible. Ideas and insights from others miraculously combine with your own to create new thinking and innovation. When Hot Spots arise in and between companies, they provide energy for exploiting and applying knowledge that is already known and genuinely exploring what was previously unknown. Hot Spots are marvelous creators of value for organizations and wonderful, life-enhancing phenomena for each of us. Lynda Gratton has spent more than ten years investigating Hot Spots--discovering how they emerge and how organizations can create environments where they will proliferate and thrive. She has studied dozens of companies and talked to hundreds of employees, managers, and executives in the US, Europe, and Asia. She has asked the important questions: Why and when do Hot Spots emerge? What is it about certain groups of people that support the emergence of Hot Spots? What role do leaders play? She's discovered a host of elements that together contribute to the emergence of Hot Spots--creating energy and excitement, and supporting and channeling that energy into productive outcomes. In this groundbreaking book, Gratton describes four crucial qualities that an organizational culture must have to support the emergence of Hot Spots, looks at what leaders can do to encourage them, and offers activities and tools you can use in your own company to increase the probability of them arising. In these days when traditional organizational boundaries are becoming barriers to progress, Gratton offers advice and guidance that you can use right now to increase the probability of Hot Spots emerging in your organization.
Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy--and Others Don't
by Lynda GrattonWhat organization wouldn't want to encourage "places and times where cooperation flourishes, thus creating great energy, innovation, productivity and excitement"? This final volume in a trilogy of books on creating energy at work by London Business School professor Gratton (after Living Strategy and The Democratic Enterprise) attempts to analyze the ingredients of positive workplace energy. Gratton details ways to foster a cooperative mindset, remove boundaries between people, give them a sense of purpose and increase their productive capacity, drawing on examples from organizations like BP and Nokia. But despite her interesting and well-organized findings, some readers may find her intensive focus on scientific research too academic, particularly the complicated diagrams and formulae for workplace qualities that are difficult to quantify.-Publishers Weekly
Hot Stove Economics
by J. C. BradburyThe final out of the World Series marks the beginning of baseball's second season, when teams court free agents and orchestrate trades with the hope of building a championship contender. The real and anticipated transactions generate excitement among fans who discuss the merit of moves in the arena informally known as the "hot stove league." In Hot Stove Economics, economist J.C. Bradbury answers the hot stove league's most important question: what are baseball players worth? With in-depth analysis, Bradbury identifies the game's best and worst contracts--revealing the bargains, duds, and players who are worth every penny they receive. From minor-league prospects to major-league MVPs, Bradbury examines how factors such as revenue growth, labor rules, and aging-- even down to the month in which players are born--shape players' worth and evaluates how well franchises manage their rosters. He broadly applies the principles of economics to baseball in a way that is both interesting and understandable to sports fanatics, team managers, armchair economists and students alike.
Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warming's Unfinished Debate
by S. Fred Singer David R. Legates Anthony R. LupoThe revised and expanded third edition of Hot Talk, Cold Science forms the capstone of the distinguished astrophysicist Dr. S. Fred Singer&’s lucid, yet hard scientific look at climate change. And the book is no less explosive than its predecessors—and certainly never more timely.Singer explores the inaccuracies in historical climate data and the failures of climate models, as well as the impact of solar variability, clouds, ocean currents, and sea levels on global climate—plus factors that could mitigate any human impact on world climate. Singer&’s masterful analysis decisively shows that the pessimistic, and often alarming, global-warming scenarios depicted in the media have no scientific basis. In fact, he finds that many aspects of increased levels of CO2, as well as any modest warming, such as a longer growing seasons for food and a reduced need to use fossil fuels for heating, would have a highly positive impact on the human race. As alarmists clamor to impose draconian government restrictions on entire populations in order to combat "climate change," this book reveals some other startling, stubborn contradictory facts, including: CO2 has not caused temperatures or sea levels to rise beyond historical rates. Severe storms have not increased in frequency or intensity since 1970—neither have heat waves nor droughts. Global "climate change" is not harming coral reefs. Any increases in CO2 concentrations across huge time spans haven't preceded rising global temperatures, they&’ve followed them by about 600 to 800 years—just the opposite of alarmist claims. "Carbon" taxes and other "solutions" to the global warming "crisis" would have severe consequences for economically disadvantaged groups and nations. Alarmist climate scientists have hidden their raw temperature data and deleted emails—then undermined the peer-review system to squelch debate. In sum, despite all the hot talk—and outright duplicity—there is no "climate crisis" resulting from human activities and no such threat on the horizon.
Hot Wheels at Mattel: Reinventing the Wheel
by Elie Ofek Nicole Tempest Keller Andres TerechIn 2017, Chris Down, Global Brand General Manager for Hot Wheels, and his team from the Advanced Play Group within Mattel, Inc., were considering which innovation path to pursue in order to "future proof" the Hot Wheels franchise going forward. Hot Wheels was the number one selling toy in the world (by unit volume), however, play patterns among children were rapidly changing and children were moving on from physical toys to digital play at a younger and younger age. Hot Wheels needed to determine how to respond. One option considered was the development of a new "mixed-play" product that blended physical and digital play. While the mixed play idea was still at an early conceptual stage, it would likely involve embedding a chip into the Hot Wheels die-cast car, turning it into a "smart car" with its own unique identification. Users could play with the smart car in the physical world and on an app, thus offering an opportunity to also appeal to Hot Wheels consumers who were intrigued by digital play. Hot Wheels had made a number of forays into the digital space over the years, through licensing the brand to app and game developers and developing toys with some digital elements. The licensing strategy was low risk, low reward, and Mattel's own digital development had produced varied results, creating a culture hesitant to take big risks in the digital space. Down knew that a mixed play innovation would require a significant investment in time and resources. However, Hot Wheels parent company, Mattel Inc. had seen revenues and operating income drop for the past three years. It was unclear if Mattel's new CEO, Margo Georgiadis, would be supportive of the mixed play direction as the cornerstone of Hot Wheels' growth plan.
Hot Wheels: Launching The Mixed Play Experience
by Elie Ofek Nicole Tempest Keller Andres TerechChris Down, Global Brand General Manager for Hot Wheels, and his team from the Advanced Play Group within Mattel, Inc., had developed an entirely new "mixed play" product experience that blended familiar Hot Wheels play in the physical world with breakthrough play in the digital world. The technology underlying the product was an NFC chip embedded in the physical Hot Wheels die-cast car that could be scanned to add a digital version of the car into a virtual domain, where users could see their stats and play video games with the car. The goal for the new mixed play experience was to extend the age of the Hot Wheels customer, as children were observed to be moving on from physical toys to digital play at a younger and younger age. The mixed play concept had received unprecedented investment and support, since it represented a whole new approach to play that could set the stage for the future of Hot Wheels and other Mattel brands. In early 2019, the product development phase was nearly complete and plans were being set for the launch. Key decisions needed to be made around positioning, naming, pricing, channel, promotion, and launch timing. Given the high expectations for the innovative mixed play platform, it was critical to get these go-to-market decisions right.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America
by Thomas L. FriedmanFriedman shows how the 2 biggest crises of today (America's loss of focus since 9/11 and the global environment crisis) are linked and how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time