Does It Matter?

Author: Nicholas G. Carr
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN: 1422129527
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
Over the last decade, and even since the bursting of the technology bubble, pundits, consultants, and thought leaders have argued that information technology provides the edge necessary for business success. IT expert Nicholas G. Carr offers a radically different view in this eloquent and explosive book. As IT's power and presence have grown, he argues, its strategic relevance has actually decreased. IT has been transformed from a source of advantage into a commoditized "cost of doing business"--with huge implications for business management. Expanding on Carr's seminal Harvard Business Review article that generated a storm of controversy, Does IT Matter? provides a truly compelling--and unsettling--account of IT's changing business role and its leveling influence on competition. Through astute analysis of historical and contemporary examples, Carr shows that the evolution of IT closely parallels that of earlier technologies such as railroads and electric power. He goes on to lay out a new agenda for IT management, stressing cost control and risk management over innovation and investment. And he examines the broader implications for business strategy and organization as well as for the technology industry. A frame-changing statement on one of the most important business phenomena of our time, Does IT Matter? marks a crucial milepost in the debate about IT's future. An acclaimed business writer and thinker, Nicholas G. Carr is a former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review.

Does It Matter?

Author: Alan W. Watts
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1577318390
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 141

Book Description
This classic series of essays represents Alan Watts's thinking on the astonishing problems caused by our dysfunctional relationship with the material environment. Here, with characteristic wit, a philosopher best known for his writings and teachings about mysticism and Eastern philosophy gets down to the nitty-gritty problems of economics, technology, clothing, cooking, and housing. Watts argues that we confuse symbol with reality, our ways of describing and measuring the world with the world itself, and thus put ourselves into the absurd situation of preferring money to wealth and eating the menu instead of the dinner. With our attention locked on numbers and concepts, we are increasingly unconscious of nature and of our total dependence on air, water, plants, animals, insects, and bacteria. We have hallucinated the notion that the so-called external world is a cluster of objects separate from ourselves, that we encounter it, that we come into it instead of out of it. Originally published in 1972, Does It Matter? foretells the environmental problems that arise from this mistaken mind-set. Not all of Watts's predictions have come to pass, but his unique insights will change the way you look at the world.

Does Education Matter?

Author: Alison Wolf
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141935669
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 277

Book Description
"Education, education, education" has become an obsession for politicians and the public alike. It is seen as an economic panacea: an engine for growth and prosperity. But is there a link between increased spending on higher eductaion and economicgrowth? Professor Alison Wolf takes a critical look at successive governments' education policy and challenges many of the tenets of received wisdom: there are no economic reasons for spending more on higher education in order to stimulate growth. The conclusion of this devastating book is that a large proportion of the billions poured into vocational training and university provision might be better spent on teaching the basics at primary school.

Do You Matter?

Author: Robert J. Brunner
Publisher: FT Press
ISBN: 0132703750
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Book Description
“Definitely, a game changer! Design experience is the power shift to our era what mass marketing was to the last century.” John Sculley former CEO, Pepsi and Apple “Great design is about creating a deep relationship with your customers. If you don’t, you’re roadkill. This book shows you how and much, much more. Be prepared to have your mind blown.” Bill Burnett Executive Director, Design Program, Stanford University “Design is the last great differentiator, and yet so few really understand it. Do You Matter? offers a marvelous series of direct, in-your-face observations and drives home the means to an absolutely integrated design strategy.” Ray Riley Design GM, Entertainment and Devices, Microsoft “This book will challenge you to ask and answer what arguably are the most important questions an executive can ponder today. So open up.” Noah Kerner CEO, Noise and coauthor, Chasing Cool More and more companies are coming to understand the competitive advantage offered by outstanding design. With this, you can create products, services, and experiences that truly matter to your customers' lives and thereby drive powerful, sustainable improvements in business performance. But delivering great designs is not easy. Many companies accomplish it once, or twice; few do it consistently. The secret: building a truly design-driven business, in which design is central to everything you do. Do You Matter? shows how to do precisely that. Legendary industrial designer Robert Brunner (who laid the groundwork for Apple's brilliant design language) and Stewart Emery (Success Built to Last) begin by making an incontrovertible case for the power of design in making emotional connections, deepening relationships, and strengthening brands. You'll learn what it really means to be "design-driven" and how that translates into action at Nike, Apple, BMW and IKEA. You'll learn design-driven techniques for managing your entire experience chain; define effective design strategies and languages; and learn how to manage design from the top, encouraging "risky" design innovations that lead to entirely new markets. The authors show how (and how not) to use research; how to extend design values into marketing, manufacturing, and beyond; and how to keep building on your progress, truly "baking" design into all your processes and culture.

Make It Matter

Author: Scott Mautz
Publisher: AMACOM
ISBN: 0814436188
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Book Description
How do you motivate the disengaged, and further engage the engaged? The answer is to foster meaning at work and give work a greater sense of personal significance, thus making work matter. The startling truth is that 70% of the workforce is disengaged - their bodies may put in long hours, but their hearts and minds never punch in. This is a terrible dilemma for organizations trying to motivate employees to do more with less. Make It Matter is the antidote to crisis levels of disengagement and the first book that serves as a practical, yet inspiring how-to guide for motivating by creating meaning?- the?motivational force of our times. Distilling research, case studies, stories, and interviews with managers at great companies to work for, leadership expert Scott Mautz unveils 7 essential Markers of Meaning that can be triggered to create meaning in and at work. You'll get dozens of tools and learn about the power of: Direction - Reframe work to add meaning and motivation, and help people find a sense of significance and purpose in what they do Discovery - Craft the richest kind of opportunities to learn, grow, and influence, while helping people feel valued Devotion - Cultivate an authentic, caring culture, master meaning-making leadership behaviors, and drive out corrosive behaviors that can unknowingly drain meaning at work When people feel that they matter, they give their all. Channel that power and everyone profits.

What Does It Matter?

Author: Emma Pears
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1637585497
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 194

Book Description
Unpack the power of asking, “What does it matter?” to pull the plug on the rising waters of your anxiety and put a pin in the expanding balloon of your stress. Life is an unpredictable white-water ride of fast currents, beautiful scenery, rocky passageways, and calm waters. What Does It Matter? is a simple yet profound framework to be used when deciding priorities, curating possessions, making plans, and managing emotions. In this life-affirming book, the author shares what she has found undeniably helpful in her own life and offers it to you, the reader, to use in yours—however you want to. And the “however you want to” bit is crucial, because the best lesson you can take away from this book is to remember to think before you follow. Remember to think before you overreact. Remember to think before being so hard on yourself. Remember to ask, “What does it matter?” to help you see the funny side in any situation sooner. You are in charge of yourself; your life is yours. You can think for yourself—don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Happiness propaganda may imply that you are not enough or your life is sub-standard, but this book will serve as a direct torpedo hit against that commonplace assault. Use this book as part of your protection plan against self-destruction…and then use it to help others. Live life with less stress and more joy by asking yourself: “What does it matter?” (WDIM)—and have the courage to act on your answer.

Does IT Matter?

Author: Nicholas G. Carr
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN: 1591394449
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Book Description
A bold and controversial manifesto on where information technology is headed, how its role in business strategy will dramatically change, and what this all means for business managers and IT suppliers Does IT Matter provides the first cogent explanation of IT’s dramatically changing business role, its levelling influence on competition, and the practical implications for business managers and IT suppliers. A convincing manifesto on one of the most important business phenomena of our time, “Does IT Matter?” will play a central role in our ongoing debate about the future of IT.

In Search of Business Value

Author: Robert L. McDowell
Publisher: SelectBooks, Inc.
ISBN: 9781590790625
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
"Offers a practical, close-up examination of how a manager or executive can best determine whether a new technology expenditure is justified by a business need." - cover.

Does Anything Really Matter?

Author: Peter Singer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191084395
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Book Description
In the first two volumes of On What Matters Derek Parfit argues that there are objective moral truths, and other normative truths about what we have reasons to believe, and to want, and to do. He thus challenges a view of the role of reason in action that can be traced back to David Hume, and is widely assumed to be correct, not only by philosophers but also by economists. In defending his view, Parfit argues that if there are no objective normative truths, nihilism follows, and nothing matters. He criticizes, often forcefully, many leading contemporary philosophers working on the nature of ethics, including Simon Blackburn, Stephen Darwall, Allen Gibbard, Frank Jackson, Peter Railton, Mark Schroeder, Michael Smith, and Sharon Street. Does Anything Really Matter? gives these philosophers an opportunity to respond to Parfit's criticisms, and includes essays on Parfit's views by Richard Chappell, Andrew Huddleston, Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer, Bruce Russell, and Larry Temkin. A third volume of On What Matters, in which Parfit engages with his critics and breaks new ground in finding significant agreement between his own views and theirs, is appearing as a separate companion volume.

Does It Matter What You Believe?

Author: Elvin C. Myers
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1664232605
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 120

Book Description
The road, the way, the belief system that leads a human soul home and into the presence of God is not crowded. There are few who find it. So, it’s important to ask yourself: Are you on the right road? Elvin C. Myers, a former missionary and pastor to churches in Colorado, Virginia, and Florida, wrote this book to steer people away from errors that might damn their souls. The author draws on his more than sixty years of being a pastor to explore the differences between Protestant Evangelical beliefs and those of Catholicism. In doing so, he answers questions such as: Why is it incumbent on people who know the truth of the Lord to speak up? Does living a good life ensure someone will go to heaven? What are the consequences of being disobedient to the Lord? Can someone who is deeply religious still perish in hell? It is the author’s sincere hope that this book will lead you away from the judgment of hell and the lake of fire that is mentioned in Revelation 20:14–15, a place where the soul never dies.