A Long Time In Making

Smiths Group (formerly Smiths Industries), part of the UK FTSE 100 index, is a global engineering company with a market capitalisation over £5bn. Evolving from beginnings in the Victorian jewellery trade, to significant market presences in the twentieth century motor accessory, clock and watch industries, it has reinvented itself again as a diversified international company, operating in the medical, communications, security and engineered components sectors. Its narrative history, illuminating the reasons for its survival and adaptability, offers useful data and information to aid wider research into questions such as the legitimacy of conglomerates as a business model, the creation and maintenance of corporate culture, issues of succession, the effects of mergers and the questionable value placed upon targeted synergies-even the role of serendipity. The story begins with several generations of the Smith family amassing a fortune in retail, and then, following a 1914 stock-market flotation, describes the transition from family run business to the development of a professionally-run managerial enterprise. Since the 1970s it has had to face the decline of major markets and competitive pressures, leading to the adoption of new business lines, globalisation, and the internationalisation of its workforce. It now has 23,000 employees across more than 50 countries-along the way shocking the markets by abandoning core businesses and undergoing a controversial merger. Unfettered access to company records, and interviews with former staff members, provide insights into the strategy and management of the firm, illuminating the rich culture of Smiths, characterised by the frequent fostering of technical brilliance and a cast of larger than life characters.

In today's academic environment, the challenge of ensuring lasting commercial and economic success for organizations has become more daunting than ever before. The relentless surge in data-driven decision-making, based on innovative technologies such as blockchain, IoT, and AI, has created a digital frontier filled with complexity. Maintaining a healthy firm that can continually provide innovative products and services to the public while fueling economic growth has become a formidable puzzle. Moreover, this digital transformation has ushered in new risks, from pervasive cybersecurity threats to the ethical challenges surrounding artificial intelligence. In this evolving landscape, academic scholars face the pressing challenge of deciphering the path to long-term organizational prosperity in an era dominated by data. Data-Driven Decision Making for Long-Term Business Success serves as guidance and insights amidst this academic challenge. It is the definitive solution for scholars seeking to uncover the complexities of data-driven decision-making and its profound impact on organizational success. Each meticulously curated chapter delves into a specific facet of this transformative journey, from the implications of modern technologies and pricing optimization to the ethics underpinning data-driven strategies and the metaverse's influence on decision-making.

The impact of digital technology on the musical economy has been profound. From its production, reproduction, distribution, and consumption, the advent of MP3 and the use of the Internet as a medium of distribution has brought about a significant transformation in the way that music is made, how it is purchased and listened to, and, significantly, how the musical economy itself is able to reproduce itself. In the late 1990s the obscure practice of 'ripping' tracks from CDs through the use of compression programmes was transformed from the illegal hobby of a few thousand computer specialists to a practice available to millions of people worldwide through the development of peer-to-peer computer networks. This continues to have important implications for the viability of the musical economy. At the same time, the production of music has become more accessible and the role of key gatekeepers in the industry—such as record companies and recording studios— has been undermined, whilst the increased accessibility of music at reduced cost via the Internet has revalorised live performance, and now generates revenues higher than recorded music. The early 21st century has provided an extraordinary case study of an industry in flux, and one that throws light on the relationship between culture and economy, between passion and calculation. This book provides a theoretically grounded account of the implications of digital technology on the musical economy, and develops the concept of the musical network to understand the transformation of this economy over space and through time.

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2012 was largely celebrated as the greatest ceremony ever. It won over critics and the general public, and made a nation proud. This book describes the entire rehearsal process of the volunteers, told from a performer's perspective, for what most agreed was the most spectacular part of the show.

Unlike her previous eight Murder Mystery-Romance novels — this book is strictly Fiction — Romance. She started writing right after her 77th birthday. To-date she has nine novels published. Ilsa’ Revenge Marcello & Me Love of Two Sisters Biarritz Beach/Resurrection of a Divorced Woman Love on a Farm Love Reigns Till Death Second Time is Magic Biaritz Beach on West Coast Love is Definitely Greek to Me