Deftly attacking by logic and statistics the dominant pessimism concerning future US economic and military power, Ross instead sees greater progress over the next two or three decades than during the last--a fifth rising phase of a Kondratiev cycle. The central force will consist of a surging rate of technological advance resulting from such innovations as the electronic computer in combination with solid state application; energy-related superconductivity and fusion; biotechnology and space; etc. . . .An excellent, sprightly, and scholarly reply to recent doomsayers. Choice This groundbreaking work challenges pessimistic views of the U.S. economy, arguing instead that the U.S. is on the brink of a radical economic and social transformation, primarily caused by technological advance. According to Ross, the American economy, like other market-oriented economies, is subject to long waves, or cycles. In the early 1990s, he asserts, the U.S. economy will experience the beginning of a rising phase of a long wave, with the economy growing for two or three decades. The fundamental underlying cause of the booming economy will be the momentum associated with an unprecedented rate of technological advance; it will be associated with an increase in the standard of living of the average American beyond current expectations. Written in a style accessible to both scholars and educated lay readers, A Gale of Creative Destruction is an important counterweight to the recent spate of books which posit the impending collapse of the U.S. economy. Ross takes a unique approach to the subject by integrating structural change in the American economy with technological advance in an international setting. To build his case, he analyzes the historical long waves the U.S. economy has already seen and examines the technological advances such as superconductivity and biotechnology. He shows that such major innovations have coincided with the rising phase of long waves. He also explores changes in the workforce, the diminution of racial and gender discrimination, the increasing interdependence of the world's economies, and the tremendous strides being made toward more democratization and more vibrant market-driven economies, arguing that each of these factors will act to help fuel economic growth in the 1990s and beyond. Based on his analysis, Ross concludes that optimism about the economic future is more than warranted and that today's children will be significantly better off than their parents.

What is creative destruction? Creative destruction, what the economist Joseph Schumpeter called “the essential fact about capitalism," describes change or disruption in the economy caused by innovations that replace traditional technologies and practices. Creative destruction is a force so powerful that it has not only shaped economies but also politics, culture, and social relations. In clear and accessible prose, Dalton and Logan illustrate the nature and varieties of creative destruction, how it is central to innovation and entrepreneurship, and why it is important for economic growth. With in-depth case studies of how Netflix challenged and displaced Blockbuster, and how Uber and other ride-sharing companies are disrupting traditional taxi services, this book examines how economies, societies, and cultures change due to the innovation and experimentation that is central to the prosperity of free societies.

A Frenchman rents a Hollywood movie. A Thai schoolgirl mimics Madonna. Saddam Hussein chooses Frank Sinatra's "My Way" as the theme song for his fifty-fourth birthday. It is a commonplace that globalization is subverting local culture. But is it helping as much as it hurts? In this strikingly original treatment of a fiercely debated issue, Tyler Cowen makes a bold new case for a more sympathetic understanding of cross-cultural trade. Creative Destruction brings not stale suppositions but an economist's eye to bear on an age-old question: Are market exchange and aesthetic quality friends or foes? On the whole, argues Cowen in clear and vigorous prose, they are friends. Cultural "destruction" breeds not artistic demise but diversity. Through an array of colorful examples from the areas where globalization's critics have been most vocal, Cowen asks what happens when cultures collide through trade, whether technology destroys native arts, why (and whether) Hollywood movies rule the world, whether "globalized" culture is dumbing down societies everywhere, and if national cultures matter at all. Scrutinizing such manifestations of "indigenous" culture as the steel band ensembles of Trinidad, Indian handweaving, and music from Zaire, Cowen finds that they are more vibrant than ever--thanks largely to cross-cultural trade. For all the pressures that market forces exert on individual cultures, diversity typically increases within society, even when cultures become more like each other. Trade enhances the range of individual choice, yielding forms of expression within cultures that flower as never before. While some see cultural decline as a half-empty glass, Cowen sees it as a glass half-full with the stirrings of cultural brilliance. Not all readers will agree, but all will want a say in the debate this exceptional book will stir.

Consider the complexity of a living cell after 3.8 billion years of evolution. Is it more awesome to suppose that a transcendent God fashioned the cell at a stroke, or to realize that it evolved with no Almighty Hand, but arose on its own in the c...

What is this mysterious activity we call entrepreneurship? Does success require special traits and skills or just luck? Can large companies follow their example? What role does venture capital play? In a field dominated by anecdote and folklore, this landmark study integrates more than ten years of intensive research and modern theories of business and economics. The result is a comprehensive framework for understanding entrepreneurship that provides new and penetrating insights. Examining hundreds of successful ventures, the author finds that the typical business has humble, improvised origins. Well-planned start-ups, backed by substantial venture capital, are exceptional. Entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Sam Walton initially pursue small, uncertain opportunities, without much capital, market research, or breakthrough technologies. Coping with ambiguity and surprises, face-to-face selling, and making do with second-tier employees is more important than foresight, deal-making, or recruiting top-notch teams. Transforming improvised start-ups into noteworthy enterprises requires a radical shift, from "opportunistic adaptation" in niche markets to the pursuit of ambitious strategies. This requires traits such as ambition and risk-taking that are initially unimportant. Mature corporations have to pursue entrepreneurial activity in a much more disciplined way. Companies like Intel and Merck focus their resources on large-scale initiatives that scrappy entrepreneurs cannot undertake. Their success requires carefully chosen bets, meticulous planning, and the smooth coordination of many employees rather than the talents of a driven few. This clearly and concisely written book is essential for anyone who wants to start a business, for the entrepreneur or executive who wants to grow a company, and for the scholar who wants to understand this crucial economic activity.

How do managers and leaders know what to do when they are caught off guard or taken by surprise? How do they create when they do not know what to do next? These are challenges of an organizational world of existential uncertainty; one where the future does not conform to but challenges our expectations and assumptions. Steven Segal demonstrates that creating in a world of existential uncertainty requires a new understanding of the relationship between management inquiry and the lived experience of organizing. Using existential philosophy he demonstrates how moods of concern serve as a framework to integrate management theory and practice, thereby providing a framework for managers, management educators, and consultants to share a common framework. In a globalized free market characterized by unexpected disruptions management inquiry is not a science conducted from an objective distance. The book advocates an existentially reflexive and participant observer perspective to management inquiry. By participating in managing, a felt sense of being a manager develops. Through existential observation new ways of organizing are made possible. It is inquiry from within rather than from an objective distance. Such inquiry opens new doors and opportunities. Existential hermeneutic phenomenology and the free market phenomenon of creative destruction are linked to each other. The former provides a framework to work through the breakdown in conventions of organizing that occur in creative destruction.

Innovation in banking should be directed at improving the infrastructure that fosters efficient financial services and international trade. In this work, innovation theory is used to show how modern payment systems have transformed the technology of banking and facilitated changes in the strategy and structure of financial services organisations. Design, implementation and dissemination of payment systems are described and the analysis of their costs and benefits is combined with case studies of banks undergoing change. By studying firm capabilities, competencies, and resources, the approach is extended to services in general and linked to the ability of firms to compete and promote national economies. Payment systems vary and advanced and developing economies face obstacles in their legal and technical infrastructure, and maturity of banks. By adopting an international perspective, the book offers a unique comparative analysis that shows what kind of investments are likely to be effective.

In nineteenth-century Canada, the Square Mile was an elite residential district in Montreal that represented a dramatic new concentration of wealth. Montreal’s Square Mile chronicles the history of the neighbourhood, from its origins to its decline, including the diverse and far-reaching sources of its making and its twentieth-century transformations. Spanning the interconnected worlds of family and home life, business and high politics, architecture and urban redevelopment, this interdisciplinary and richly illustrated volume presents a new account of the Square Mile’s history and an investigation of the neighbourhood’s impact beyond the immediate urban environment.

This book takes the reader on a new tour of the world of firms. We start with a visit to the inside of a firm. We meet the owner and the manager. We look deeply into their mindsets. Then we move outside the firm, to observe the firm's outer features. We pay particular attention to its size, its complexity, its fragility, and its similarity to other firms. In the second half of the tour, we visit communities of firms. We watch waves of mergers, chaos, and bubbles. Before returning, we witness battles between firms and creatures that act like antibodies in our blood: corporate raiders, antitrust agencies, and creative destructors. Throughout the tour, we ask how the things we see are linked. This book encourages the reader to see them as feedback loops. The book’s overarching argument is the importance of the separation of ownership and control and how society must pay more attention to the concept..

Drawing on 13 years of research, the authors show that, over time, long-established companies, instead of maintaining excellence, always under perform the market. Proposing a radical new business paradigm, they argue that instead of focusing on continuity, companies must focus on discontinuity--constantly destroying and recreating themselves to remain competitive and thrive long-term.