The Renaissance Society How The Shift From Dream Society To The Age Of Individual Control Will Change The Way You Do Business

A BOLD NEW VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE DREAM SOCIETY. THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT THE FUTURE. Your future. Our future. The future of companies, the marketplace, and society. According to futurists Rolf Jensen and Mika Aaltonen, we are currently "between dreams." We've managed to achieve many of our material goals, only to face ever-growing global competition in an ever-slowing economy. Here's the good news: With the rise of social media and online resources, consumers are growing more powerful. Individuals are exploring more options. And smart businesses are discovering more ways to appeal to this powerful new community. Welcome to The Renaissance Society. A world-class network of ordinary people who are changing the way companies and communities interact, they are the future--and they are us. This forward-thinking book guides you through tomorrow's hottest trends to help you: Make an emotional connection to your customers Create a value-driven company that engages your employees Adjust your business strategy for a flatter, global marketplace Reward individual expression and spark a tribal spirit Identify future trends to build long-term success Jensen and Aaltonen's razor-sharp predictions offer a much-needed headsup--and a major head-start--for your future success. You'll explore revolutionary ways in which the individual's role will shift from consumer to creator--much like it did during the European Renaissance. You'll find out why learning will become the world's largest industry and how services will become the twenty-first century's biggest growth market. You'll see a powerful shift in the concept of ownership, the role of employees within a company, and the role of companies in society. Most important, you'll be able to turn these fascinating predictions into real-world opportunities for decades to come. In The Renaissance Society, everybody matters. Each and every one of us has the power to reshape the future of our companies. To reignite the passion of our communities. And to restore our faith in ourselves, our dreams, and our limitless potential for growth. PRAISE FOR THE RENAISSANCE SOCIETY "Jensen and Aaltonen have created a captivating portrait of tomorrow, one that inspires us to think of alternatives. Decision makers in all fields will find that this book provides powerful reasons to question their grasp of the present." -- Riel Miller, Foresight Director, UNESCO "Mika and Rolf inspire our thinking and action with a book based on solid theory--and their vast experience working with leading international companies. It is a valuable reference for leaders in both business and politics." -- DR. STEFAN BERGHEIM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR SOCIETAL PROGRESS, GERMANY "The Renaissance Society is a fascinating and highly readable guide to the future and the possibilities it holds. These are hard times for many people but this book helps to lift our sights and see the scope now emerging for a step change in human achievement." -- Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts

In Cosmopolitan Business Ethics: Towards a Global Ethos of Management, Jacob Dahl Rendtorff maps the concept of global business ethics, related to sustainability and corporate governance, via an examination of the major theories of business ethics and the philosophy of management. The book is based on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and the European tradition, which is applied as the foundation for the analysis of the contemporary European and Anglo-American debate on business ethics in order to formulate an up-to-date theory of global business ethics. The book will compare the different schools of business ethics, corporate citizenship, and the philosophy of management and will address the modern-day issues of sustainability, business and human rights, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder management, and corporate governance, offering insights on how to deal with these international challenges of global economics, the development and protection of human rights, and the environment. This book proposes a decision-making model for cosmopolitan business ethics as the foundation of management and leadership in dealing with the complexities of globalization. The case studies will address the efforts of businesses to work with global and cosmopolitan business ethics at the levels of maintaining corporate integrity. Both the theoretical argument and case studies presented in the book are based on exchanges with notable business ethicists, philosophers of management, business managers, and public policy-makers.

Exploring the ambiguous relationship between fandom and consumer culture, this book provides a critical overview of fans, fan cultures and fan experiences in relation to the broader experience and transformation economy. Fans and Fan Cultures discusses key theoretical concepts concerning celebrity, fandoms, subculture, consumerism and marketing through a range of examples in film, travel and tourism, football and music. With an emphasis on social media, and how various online platforms are utilised by brands, artists and fans, the authors explore how this type of communication often contributes to trivialising authentic expressions of cultural and social values and identities.

"The Dream Society . . . provides dramatic insights into how marketing will operate in the 21st century."Atlanta Business Chronicle A fascinating look into the future of business, as featured in Fast Company The future is uncertainthe world is constantly changing. While anything can happen, some things are far more likely than others. Rolf Jensen, internationally renowned futurist, provides readers with a tangible look at what the future will be like over the next 25 years. By identifying what lies ahead, Jensen gives people the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and strategically align themselves to capitalize on the unknown future, a future Jensen calls "the Dream Society." This dream society is characterized by the commercialization of emotions. In this provocative exploration, Jensen says that it will no longer be enough to produce a useful product. He shows that, for a product to be successful, its primary purpose will be the ability to fulfill an emotional need. Those who understand the workings of this dream society will be the ones who create the new products, new markets, and new businesses that dominate the world of tomorrow.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.

The interwoven futures of humanity and our planet are under threat. Urgent action, taken together, is needed to change course and reimagine our futures.

Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries.

A compelling dual-narrated tale from Jennifer Latham that questions how far we've come with race relations. Some bodies won't stay buried. Some stories need to be told. When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family's property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the present and the past. Nearly one hundred years earlier, a misguided violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self discovery and face his inner demons in order to do what's right the night Tulsa burns. Through intricately interwoven alternating perspectives, Jennifer Latham's lightning-paced page-turner brings the Tulsa race riot of 1921 to blazing life and raises important questions about the complex state of US race relations--both yesterday and today.