Economics Books

The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers.In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work.For years, Holmes had been misleading investors, FDA officials, and her own employees. When Carreyrou, working at The Wall Street Journal, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the Journal were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company's value was zero and Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors. Here is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley.

Great products are the lifeblood of great companies, yet approximately 60 percent of new products fail in the marketplace, after major investments and huge risks. Why? Gary Lynn and Richard Reilly now offer advice that will radically change the way new products are developed and a plan for companies to survive -- and thrive -- in today's competitive and turbulent times. Blockbusters shares the results of a ten-year research study of more than 700 teams illustrated by the inside stories of nearly fifty of the most successful products ever launched -- true "blockbusters," familiar to consumers everywhere. These include Colgate's Total toothpaste (now the market leader after Crest dominated for thirty years!), the Iomega Zip Drive, the Handspring Visor, the PowerShot staple gun, the Polycom SoundStation conference phone, the Apple IIe computer, and many others. Lynn and Reilly reveal and explain in detail the five keys to blockbuster success that companies ignore at their the responsibilities of senior management, a compelling vision of the product, the role of prototyping, the collaboration of people under pressure, and the process of information exchange. In this book, the authors prove that without these crucial elements a blockbuster new product is virtually impossible! Blockbusters uses both winning and losing case studies to explode established myths and to chart a course for implementing the surprising strategies of history-making development teams. A must for senior managers, entrepreneurs, and team leaders alike -- and for any reader curious about how great products are created -- this heavily researched and groundbreaking book promises to become a classic in the fields of product development and organizational renewal.

If you're fascinated by how technology bridges distances and creates a competitive global environment, Friedman's "The World Is Flat" might pique your interest. It's more than an exploration; it offers an insightful look into how our world has changed and is continuing to evolve. Think of it as a decoder for the intricate web of global connectivity that affects us all. Whether you're a business enthusiast, a tech-savvy individual, or just curious about global dynamics, this book puts the twenty-first-century world into perspective.

Between the high-level concepts of business intelligence and the nitty-gritty instructions for using vendors’ tools lies the essential, yet poorly-understood layer of architecture, design and process. Without this knowledge, Big Data is belittled – projects flounder, are late and go over budget. Business Intelligence From Data Integration to Analytics shines a bright light on an often neglected topic, arming you with the knowledge you need to design rock-solid business intelligence and data integration processes. Practicing consultant and adjunct BI professor Rick Sherman takes the guesswork out of creating systems that are cost-effective, reusable and essential for transforming raw data into valuable information for business decision-makers. After reading this book, you will be able to design the overall architecture for functioning business intelligence systems with the supporting data warehousing and data-integration applications. You will have the information you need to get a project launched, developed, managed and delivered on time and on budget – turning the deluge of data into actionable information that fuels business knowledge. Finally, you’ll give your career a boost by demonstrating an essential knowledge that puts corporate BI projects on a fast-track to success.

This book is a captivating exploration of how Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone company, rose to become a major global player. Clay Shirky, an influential observer of technology's impact, delves into the implications of Xiaomi's success for China and the rest of the world. With insightful perspectives on the Chinese Dream and the future of globalization, this book is a must-read for those fascinated by the intersection of technology, culture, and power. Whether you're curious about China's tech industry or interested in the broader implications of smartphone production, "Little Rice: Smartphones, Xiaomi, and the Chinese Dream" offers a riveting journey that will leave you inspired and informed.

Praise for The Online Advertising Playbook "Finally, someone has documented all we know about online advertising and how to do it right. As much as this confirms that online advertising really works, we know that marketers don't always get it right. The ARF's The Online Advertising Playbook provides critical insight on what sticks and what doesn't in online advertising and marketing."―Greg Stuart, CEO and President, Interactive Advertising Bureau and coauthor of What Sticks " The Online Advertising Playbook 's principles, case studies, and strategic insights equip marketers with the best knowledge available. It will help your online advertising achieve the full range of marketing objectives, from lead generation and customer acquisition to driving trial and loyalty."―Tim Kopp, Vice President, Global Interactive Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company "To grow interactive marketing from here we need to institutionalize our wisdom and experience about what works. This book explains, in a disciplined way, what marketers have learned from a decade of massive change."―Ted McConnell, Interactive Innovation Director, Procter & Gamble " The Online Advertising Playbook is a milestone in the maturation of interactive advertising, but also an invaluable go-to guide for managers trying to make smart decisions with their advertising budgets."―Van Riley, Vice President of Research, AOL "The best marketing communication is spawned from what I call 'informed intuition.' After reading The Online Advertising Playbook , I am far better informed on how to optimize the online channel in our advertising and promotional programs. It's a perfect blend of case studies and research-backed learning."―Rod DeVar, Manager, Advertising and Promotion, United States Postal Service "Savvy marketers should take advantage of The Online Advertising Playbook 's findings and principles to get real results."―Chris Theodoros, Director of Industry Relations, Google "A work of wisdom and rigor in the digital space that is as relevant for the newbie as it is for the digerati."―Mike Donahue, Executive Vice President, American Association of Advertising Agencies "This is a must-read for any marketing executive involved in online advertising. It's high time that a book looks at online advertising in the context of an integrative promotional strategy, one meant to set objectives, establish creative strategies, and measure results. The book nicely ties the various components of online advertising to relevant case studies, and the emphasis on measurement and results is refreshing. Not only is it relevant for marketing executives, it would also be a good basic text for any Internet advertising course and a good adjunct to any Internet marketing course."―Henry Assael, Professor of Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University

For senior year undergraduate Marketing courses, and first year MBA courses in Marketing/International/Asian Business. The book provides a broad-based approach to Asia-Pacific marketing case-studies. Cases include studies on products and services; consumer and business markets; profit and non-profit organizations; Asian firms operating within and outside of the region as well as non-Asian companies operating in Asia; small and large enterprises; manufacturing and trading businesses; and low- and high-technology industries.