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Invisible China: How the Urban-Rural Divide Threatens China’s Rise
by Scott Rozelle Natalie HellAs the glittering skyline in Shanghai seemingly attests, China has quickly transformed itself from a place of stark poverty into a modern, urban, technologically savvy economic powerhouse. But as Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell show in Invisible China, the truth is much more complicated and might be a serious cause for concern. China’s growth has relied heavily on unskilled labor. Most of the workers who have fueled the country’s rise come from rural villages and have never been to high school. While this national growth strategy has been effective for three decades, the unskilled wage rate is finally rising, inducing companies inside China to automate at an unprecedented rate and triggering an exodus of companies seeking cheaper labor in other countries. Ten years ago, almost every product for sale in an American Walmart was made in China. Today, that is no longer the case. With the changing demand for labor, China seems to have no good back-up plan. For all of its investment in physical infrastructure, for decades China failed to invest enough in its people. Recent progress may come too late. Drawing on extensive surveys on the ground in China, Rozelle and Hell reveal that while China may be the second-largest economy in the world, its labor force has one of the lowest levels of education of any comparable country. Over half of China’s population—as well as a vast majority of its children—are from rural areas. Their low levels of basic education may leave many unable to find work in the formal workplace as China’s economy changes and manufacturing jobs move elsewhere. In Invisible China, Rozelle and Hell speak not only to an urgent humanitarian concern but also a potential economic crisis that could upend economies and foreign relations around the globe. If too many are left structurally unemployable, the implications both inside and outside of China could be serious. Understanding the situation in China today is essential if we are to avoid a potential crisis of international proportions. This book is an urgent and timely call to action that should be read by economists, policymakers, the business community, and general readers alike.
Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism
by George Monbiot Peter HutchisonWe live under an ideology that preys on every aspect of our lives: our education and our jobs; our healthcare and our leisure; our relationships and our mental well-being; the planet we inhabit—the very air we breathe. It is everywhere. Yet for most people, it has no name. It seems inescapable, like a natural law.But trace it back to its roots, and you see that this ideology is neither inevitable nor immutable. It was conceived and propagated—and then concealed—by the powerful few. Our task is to bring it into the light—and to build a new system that is worth fighting for. Neoliberalism.Do you know what it is?
The Invisible Employee: Using Carrots to See the Hidden Potential in Everyone
by Adrian Gostick Chester EltonEmployees who feel like they are invisible to their leadership many times, in return, wind up doing just enough to get by--their talents hidden in the corporate shadows. But if you're a great manager, you've learned how to see these employees for these hidden talents they possess. Part business fable, part business advice, The Invisible Employee gives you the knowledge you need to actively engage employees to bring out the best in them. Now in a new second edition, this amazing resource offers the compelling story of a group of invisible islanders and how they learn to see each other to accomplish great things. * Now part of the successful Carrot series supported by consultancy O.C. Tanner* Features new material such as the concept of "onboarding" employees to increase the speed to productivity and engagement* Presents findings data from a recent worldwide research project conducted by global professional services firm Towers Perrin If you're wondering what's missing from your team, chances are it's the full engagement of your employees. The Invisible Employee will help you make their success impossible to overlook.
Invisible Engines: How Software Platforms Drive Innovation and Transform Industries (The\mit Press Ser.)
by David S. Evans Andrei Hagiu Richard SchmalenseeHarnessing the power of software platforms: what executives and entrepreneurs must know about how to use this technology to transform industries and how to develop the strategies that will create value and drive profits.Software platforms are the invisible engines that have created, touched, or transformed nearly every major industry for the past quarter century. They power everything from mobile phones and automobile navigation systems to search engines and web portals. They have been the source of enormous value to consumers and helped some entrepreneurs build great fortunes. And they are likely to drive change that will dwarf the business and technology revolution we have seen to this point. Invisible Engines examines the business dynamics and strategies used by firms that recognize the transformative power unleashed by this new revolution—a revolution that will change both new and old industries.The authors argue that in order to understand the successes of software platforms, we must first understand their role as a technological meeting ground where application developers and end users converge. Apple, Microsoft, and Google, for example, charge developers little or nothing for using their platforms and make most of their money from end users; Sony PlayStation and other game consoles, by contrast, subsidize users and make more money from developers, who pay royalties for access to the code they need to write games. More applications attract more users, and more users attract more applications. And more applications and more users lead to more profits.Invisible Engines explores this story through the lens of the companies that have mastered this platform-balancing act. It offers detailed studies of the personal computer, video game console, personal digital assistant, smart mobile phone, and digital media software platform industries, focusing on the business decisions made by industry players to drive profits and stay a step ahead of the competition. Shorter discussions of Internet-based software platforms provide an important glimpse into a future in which the way we buy, pay, watch, listen, learn, and communicate will change forever. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.
The Invisible Game: The Secrets and the Science of Winning Minds and Winning Deals
by Kai-Markus Mueller Gabriele RehbockCutting-edge science can make all the difference for salespeople in a time when they are facing a business world in transformation. In The Invisible Game: The Secrets and the Science of Winning Minds and Winning Deals, neuroscientist Kai-Markus Mueller and sales professional Gabriele Rehbock deliver a hands-on guide to the hidden dynamics that influence the outcomes of most business deals. In plain English, the book unpacks recently discovered insights from psychology, behavioural economics, and neuroscience and explains how to apply them to your advantage in real-life business situations. The authors show you how to influence buying decisions and how to successfully respond to challenging business situations in order to put you in control of the levers that drive sales success. You&’ll also find Advanced strategies and tactics that offer a lasting edge in negotiations, sales and other business transactions Smart techniques to build rewarding customer relationships The psychology behind gains and losses revealing new keys to profitable pricing Real-life advice on how to counter a buyer&’s intimidation tactics: time, uncertainty, fear, and silence An essential, step-by-step playbook for sales professionals, The Invisible Game will also earn a place on the bookshelves of entrepreneurs, business owners, and other independent professionals—like lawyers, accountants, freelancers, consultants, and programmers—who regularly sell their services to other businesses.
Invisible Giants: The Empires of Cleveland's Van Sweringen Brothers
by Herbert H. Harwood Jr.A comprehensive biography of the rise of the famous railroad barons who developed Shaker Heights, Ohio.Invisible Giants is the Horatio Alger-esque tale of a pair of reclusive Cleveland brothers, Oris Paxton and Mantis James Van Sweringen, who rose from poverty to become two of the most powerful men in America. They controlled the country’s largest railroad system—a network of track reaching from the Atlantic to Salt Lake City and from Ontario to the Gulf of Mexico. On the eve of the Great Depression they were close to controlling the country’s first coast-to-coast rail system—a goal that still eludes us. They created the model upper-class suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, with its unique rapid transit access. They built Cleveland’s landmark Terminal Tower and its innovative “city within a city” complex. Indisputably, they created modern Cleveland.Yet beyond a small, closely knit circle, the bachelor Van Sweringen brothers were enigmas. Their actions were aggressive, creative, and bold, but their manner was modest, mild, and retiring. Dismissed by many as mere shoestring financial manipulators, they created enduring works, which remain strong today. The Van Sweringen story begins in early-twentieth-century Cleveland suburban real estate and reaches its zenith in the heady late 1920s, amid the turmoil of national transportation power politics and unprecedented empire-building. As the Great Depression destroyed many of their fellow financiers, the “Vans” survived through imaginative stubbornness—until tragedy ended their careers almost simultaneously. Invisible Giants is the first comprehensive biography of these two remarkable if mysterious men.
Invisible Giants: Changing the World One Step at a Time
by Lindsay LevinInvisible Giants is about leadership, choices in life and the potential in everyone to make a difference. Lindsay Levin, who founded the social enterprise Leaders' Quest, tells the stories of the remarkable people she has met, and their impact on the world. They are individuals who have overcome a lack of education and resources to re-energise their communities, and business leaders who strive to integrate purpose alongside profit. They are female activists in slums campaigning to end the exclusion of girls from school, and environmentalists tackling the effects of industrialisation on the world's ecosystem. They are the people we meet every day, who are revisiting their life choices. It's also the story of Lindsay's own quest to ask: "what really matters?" and to figure out where the answers can take her.
Invisible Giants: Changing the World One Step at a Time
by Lindsay LevinInvisible Giants is about leadership, choices in life and the potential in everyone to make a difference. Lindsay Levin, who founded the social enterprise Leaders' Quest, tells the stories of the remarkable people she has met, and their impact on the world. They are individuals who have overcome a lack of education and resources to re-energise their communities, and business leaders who strive to integrate purpose alongside profit. They are female activists in slums campaigning to end the exclusion of girls from school, and environmentalists tackling the effects of industrialisation on the world's ecosystem. They are the people we meet every day, who are revisiting their life choices. It's also the story of Lindsay's own quest to ask: "what really matters?" and to figure out where the answers can take her.
The Invisible Hand (Penguin Great Ideas)
by Adam SmithAdam Smith’s landmark treatise on the free market paved the way for modern capitalism, arguing that competition is the engine of a productive society, and that self-interest will eventually come to enrich the whole community, as if by an ‘invisible hand’. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives – and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.
The "Invisible Hand" and British Fiction, 1818-1860
by Eleanor CourtemancheThe 'invisible hand', Adam Smith's metaphor for the morality of capitalism, is explored in this text as being far more subtle and intricate than is usually understood, with many British realist fiction writers (Austen, Dickens, Gaskell, Eliot) having absorbed his model of ironic causality in complex societies and turned it to their own purposes.
The Invisible Hand in Economics: How Economists Explain Unintended Social Consequences (Routledge Inem Advances In Economic Methodology Ser.)
by N. Emrah AydinonatThis is a book about one of the most controversial concepts in economics: the invisible hand. The author explores the unintended social consequences implied by the invisible hand and discusses the mechanisms that bring about these consequences.The book questions, examines and explicates the strengths and weaknesses of invisible-hand explanations co
The Invisible Hand Meets the Unconscious Brain: The Pitfalls of Free Markets
by Peter A. UbelFree markets have created tremendous wealth--of opportunity and of consumer goods. Free markets have encouraged the expansion of human liberties, giving people more choice in the workplace and in the shopping market. In theory, these liberties and choices should work out for the best. People will make choices based on their preferences and values. But with all the wonders of the free markets, comes the freedom for people to make bad decisions. Take the sixty-year old diabetic man who buys a pound of beef, a six-pack of beer, and a dozen donuts, or the twenty-year old who purchases a carton of cigarettes. Clearly, these people are not acting in their own best interest. According to physician and behavioral scientist Peter Ubel, it isn't hard to see evidence all around that many of the purchasing decisions we make are having less than ideal effects on our well-being, and on society at large. This chapter is excerpted from "Free Market Madness: Why Human Nature Is at Odds with Economics--and Why It Matters."
The Invisible Hand of Power: An Economic Theory of Gate Keeping (Modern Heterodox ECON #3)
by Anton N OleinikThis is an innovative study of the techniques of domination, based on financial markets, judicial systems, academia and international relations, across North America and post-Soviet Russia. Ultimately, Oleinik seeks to provide an alternative to mainstream economic analyses of power.
The Invisible Hands
by Jared Diamond Steven Drobny Nouriel RoubiniHedge fund managers who survived and profited through the 2008 financial crisis share their secretsIn light of the colossal losses and amidst the resulting confusion that still lingers, it is time to rethink money management in the broadest of terms. Drastic changes still need to be made, and managers who actually made money during 2008 make for a logical starting place.This updated and revised edition of The Invisible Hands provides investors and traders with the latest thinking from some of the best and the most successful players in money management, highlighting the specific risk and return objectives of each, and discussing the evolution of certain styles and beliefs in money management.Divulges how top financial professionals are looking forward by thinking clearly, managing risk, and seeking a new paradigm of profit making opportunities in the post-crisis worldOutlines investments and strategies for the rocky road aheadGives guidance on how traditional investors such as pensions, endowments, foundations and family offices should rethink how they approach asset allocation and portfolio constructionWritten by respected industry expert Steven DrobnyPage by page, the professionals found in this book reveal their own approaches to markets, risk, and the broader world in which we live, as well as their advice on how investors should be approaching money management in today's uncertain world.
Invisible Hands, Invisible Objectives: Bringing Workplace Law and Public Policy into Focus
by John W. Budd Stephen F. BefortWritten for policymakers and scholars, this volume shows how the current global financial crisis affects free market ideologies, and how employment relationships in the United Sates need to be reworked in terms of regulations and economic efficiency. Befort (law, U. of Minnesota Law School) and Budd (management, U. of Minnesota) introduce a set of reforms that address regulatory enforcement, employee benefits, living wages, workplace safety and health, balanced income distributions and labor unions. The authors also emphasize the need for explicitness in all aspects of workplace law and public policy. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
Invisible Hands, Russian Experience, and Social Science
by Stefan HedlundThis book investigates cases in which national and international activities have gone massively wrong, entailing seriously negative consequences, and in which the sophisticated analytical models of social science have ceased to be helpful. Illustrations range from the global financial crisis to the failure to achieve speedy systemic change in the former Soviet Union and the failure to achieve development in the Third World. The analysis uses as a backdrop long-term Russian history and short-term Russian encounters with unrestrained capitalism to develop a framework that is based in the so-called new institutionalism. Understanding the causes of systemic failure is shown to require an approach that spans across the increasingly specialized subdisciplines of modern social science. Demonstrating that increasing theoretical sophistication has been bought at the price of a loss of perspective and the need for sensitivity to the role of cultural and historical specificity, the book pleads the case for a new departure in seeking to model the motives for human action.
The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance
by Russell RobertsA love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day? The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved marketplace. While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice. How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heart give the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives.
The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Russell RobertsA lively, unorthodox look at economics, business, and public policy told in the form of a novel.A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day?The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved marketplace.While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice. How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heart give the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives.
The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates
by Peter LeesonPack your cutlass and blunderbuss--it's time to go a-pirating! The Invisible Hook takes readers inside the wily world of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century pirates. With swashbuckling irreverence and devilish wit, Peter Leeson uncovers the hidden economics behind pirates' notorious, entertaining, and sometimes downright shocking behavior. Why did pirates fly flags of Skull & Bones? Why did they create a "pirate code"? Were pirates really ferocious madmen? And what made them so successful? The Invisible Hook uses economics to examine these and other infamous aspects of piracy. Leeson argues that the pirate customs we know and love resulted from pirates responding rationally to prevailing economic conditions in the pursuit of profits. The Invisible Hook looks at legendary pirate captains like Blackbeard, Black Bart Roberts, and Calico Jack Rackam, and shows how pirates' search for plunder led them to pioneer remarkable and forward-thinking practices. Pirates understood the advantages of constitutional democracy--a model they adopted more than fifty years before the United States did so. Pirates also initiated an early system of workers' compensation, regulated drinking and smoking, and in some cases practiced racial tolerance and equality. Leeson contends that pirates exemplified the virtues of vice--their self-seeking interests generated socially desirable effects and their greedy criminality secured social order. Pirates proved that anarchy could be organized. Revealing the democratic and economic forces propelling history's most colorful criminals, The Invisible Hook establishes pirates' trailblazing relevance to the contemporary world.
The Invisible Houses: Rethinking and designing low-cost housing in developing countries
by Gonzalo LizarraldeWinner of the ACSA/AIA Housing Design Education Award! There is an increased interest among architects, urban specialists and design professionals to contribute to solve "the housing problem" in developing countries. The Invisible Houses takes us on a journey through the slums and informal settlements of South Africa, India, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, Haiti and many other countries of the Global South, revealing the challenges of, and opportunities for, improving the fate of millions of poor families. Stressing the limitations of current approaches to housing development, Gonzalo Lizarralde examines the short-, mid- and long-term consequences of housing intervention. The book covers – among others – the issues of planning, design, infrastructure and project management. It explains the different variables that need to be addressed and the causes of common failures and mistakes, while outlining successful strategies based on embracing a sustained engagement with the complexity of processes that are generally invisible.
Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior
by Jonah BergerThe New York Times bestselling author of Contagious explores the subtle, secret influences that affect the decisions we make--from what we buy, to the careers we choose, to what we eat--in this fascinating and groundbreaking work.If you're like most people, you think that your choices and behaviors are driven by your individual, personal tastes, and opinions. You wear a certain jacket because you liked the way it looked. You picked a particular career because you found it interesting. The notion that our choices are driven by our own personal thoughts and opinions is patently obvious. Right? Wrong. Without our realizing it, other people's behavior has a huge influence on everything we do at every moment of our lives, from the mundane to the momentous occasion. Even strangers have a startling impact on our judgments and decisions: our attitudes toward a welfare policy shift if we're told it is supported by Democrats versus Republicans (even though the policy is the same in both cases). But social influence doesn't just lead us to do the same things as others. In some cases we conform, or imitate others around us. But in other cases we diverge, or avoid particular choices or behaviors because other people are doing them. We stop listening to a band because they go mainstream. We skip buying the minivan because we don't want to look like a soccer mom. In his surprising and compelling Invisible Influence, Jonah Berger integrates research and thinking from business, psychology, and social science to focus on the subtle, invisible influences behind our choices as individuals. By understanding how social influence works, we can decide when to resist and when to embrace it--and how we can use this knowledge to make better-informed decisions and exercise more control over our own behavior.
Invisible Influence: The Power to Persuade Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
by Kevin Hogan"Invisible Influence is a masterpiece in understanding the science of influence and how to take it from convincing to compelling. Kevin Hogan shows you in plain English how to understand, apply, and master the science of persuasion. The book is brilliant- and you can be brilliantly persuasive. Buy the book, read the book, and implement the book."-Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible and The Little Book of Leadership"One eyebrow-raising, head-whacking, forehead-slapping technique after another. Anyone whose daily life depends on influencing people-in other words, everyone-should read this book. Buy copies for your friends and hide it from your enemies."-Richard Brodie, author of Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme"Master persuaders know that it's not really about the words you use or the moves you make-other people get persuaded because of what you think and how you feel. Kevin Hogan explains in delightfully clear detail how to make these master-persuader secrets work for you. Not only that, he also explains why all of this works, and he shows you the exact scientific research that proves it!"-David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich"Invisible Influence is a masterpiece. It will be the master influencer's reference book for the years to come. Invisible influence is like oxygen, you can't see it, but your life depends on it. In this book, you will discover the persuasion tactics that will compel your clients to say yes to you-again and again."-Roberto Monaco, www.influenceology.com"Dump the script-it's old news before the ink's dry. Trust yourself and use your new understanding of the ever-changing context to succeed. In his fascinating book, Hogan weaves established research findings into a handbook for successful influence. The guidelines are obvious but hidden, simple but profound. Understand them and you've mastered the complex and crucial art of persuasion."-William D. Crano, author of The Rules of Influence: Winning When You're in the Minority"Many write on the topic of persuasion. Precious few genuinely understand it. Kevin is one of those precious few. Read everything you can by him."-Mark Joyner, founder and CEO of Simpleology, www.simpleology.com
Invisible Labor: Hidden Work in the Contemporary World
by Winifred Poster Marion Crain Miriam CherryAcross the world, workers labor without pay for the benefit of profitable businesses--and it's legal. Labor trends like outsourcing and technology hide some workers, and branding and employer mandates erase others. Invisible workers who remain under-protected by wage laws include retail workers who function as walking billboards and take payment in clothing discounts or prestige; waitstaff at "breastaurants" who conform their bodies to a business model; and inventory stockers at grocery stores who go hungry to complete their shifts. Invisible Labor gathers essays by prominent sociologists and legal scholars to illuminate how and why such labor has been hidden from view.
Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color
by Angela Y. Davis Andrea RitchieA timely examination of the ways Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of color are uniquely affected by racial profiling, police brutality, and immigration enforcement.Invisible No More is a timely examination of how Black women, Indigenous women, and women of color experience racial profiling, police brutality, and immigration enforcement. Placing stories of individual women—such as Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, Dajerria Becton, Monica Jones, and Mya Hall—in the broader context of the twin epidemics of police violence and mass incarceration, it documents the evolution of movements centering women’s experiences of policing and demands a radical rethinking of our visions of safety—and the means we devote to achieving it.
The Invisible Organization: How Informal Networks can Lead Organizational Change
by Neil FarmerDespite valiant efforts and the advent of techniques such as delegation, career development, performance management, key performance indicators, programme and project management, social network analysis, and employee engagement, most organizations struggle to beat the 70 per cent failure rule for profound, people-disruptive business change. Surveys show that most employees are still disengaged from their work. Innovation is sluggish and agility elusive. Harnessing the hidden potential of your workforce can be a slow, often painful process. Neil Farmer's The Invisible Organization explains how to adapt your organization's design to the informal networks that form most of the basis for communication between managers and employees. The book explores five key themes: ¢ Executive leadership - a little autocracy and a lot of collaboration; how senior managers can enable and facilitate change; ¢ Effective first-line management - in most organizations up to 60 per cent need to be replaced and women need to occupy far more significant roles; ¢ HR Managers - a key role, but most don't make the transition from 'command and control' towards the effective use of key influencers and informal network which allows HR people to contribute to the future of their business: ¢ The value of local influencers and those with extensive personal networks - how to identify them and increase their roles across all forms of business change; ¢ Radical changes to white-collar outsourcing - to an in-house outsourcing service. This is an important, if somewhat painful, call to arms for leaders and HR specialists across all organizations.