ChangeWaves - Observations on the Future from Social Technologies

Entries in S)T Reading List (2)

What are our futurists reading? The following are some sources that are sparking the interest of Social Technologies' analysts at the moment:

Image: Social TechnologiesJohn Cashman:

China CEO: Voices of Experience from 20 International Business Leaders, by Juan Antonio Fernandez & Laurie Underwood -- I’ve been slowly picking my way through this fine collection of insights, anecdotes, and advice from leaders of prominent multinationals such as Carrefour, BP, Unilever, and GE. They share their experiences, good and bad, on entering into China’s complex business landscape. The advice ranges from practical discussions on how to choose expatriate staff with the temperament for China (hint: don’t forget the effects of relocation on the employee’s family), to advice on the best strategies for entry into the Chinese market (Go it alone? Joint venture? Strong or weak joint venture partner?), to creating the proper incentive structures for managing Chinese staff (education and training opportunities, rapid advancement, and impressive-sounding titles seem to be a good place to start).

Matt Sollenberger:

"The End of Cheap Food," in The Economist -- The Economist argues that higher food prices are not a spike but are, in fact, here to stay due to a collection of underlying factors they lump under the term “agflation.” However, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and the IMF tell a slightly different story.

Gio Van Remortel:

“A Lush Business,” by Vitisia Paynich in Electronic Retailer magazine -- Lush founder and CEO Mark Constantine discusses the business approach of his wildly successful soap and cosmetic store. The company uses organic ingredients for its products and also employs a strategy of transparency and interactivity with its customers. The story piqued my interest not only because ethical consumption and transparency are trends that we monitor, but also because a colleague expressed such enthusiasm on seeing the story headline and mentioned how much she loves their store. The article confirms that this type of customer enthusiasm has much to do with their growing success.

Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 by

What are our futurists reading? The following are some sources that are sparking the interest of Social Technologies' analysts at the moment:

“Website Tracks Ancestry Using DNA,” Chris Nuttall on FT.com -- What happens when DNA-enabled genealogy meets social networking? You get the ultimate affinity group…and this short article explains how Ancestry.com is helping connect people (who’ve had their DNA analyzed) with others around the world who are in their same DNA haplogroup. Welcome to the future of genealogy.

Catherine Finn:

“Letters from Kosovo - The Countdown: the disputed region gears up to declare independence,” William Finnigan in the New Yorker -- This excellent article outlines the history of the Kosovo conflict and shows how the territory is ready to declare independence from Serbia. Kosovo’s independence has interesting implications for the future of US intervention in international conflicts, the role of the UN, and the evolution of Europe.

Mark Justman:

“The Coming US Consumption Slowdown that Will Trigger an Economy-Wide Hard Landing,” Nouriel Roubini of RGE Monitor -- Roubini, one of the few analysts to anticipate the ongoing credit market meltdown, argues that the economic damage to credit markets will spread to consumer spending and lead to a US recession in 2008.

Simeon Spearman:

Glut: Mastering Information through the Ages, Alex Wright -- This book explores how societies have organized information throughout history, from ancient civilizations through the Internet age, as well as how information could be used in the future.

Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2007 by

Kyle Spector in S)T Reading List