Book Picks

But Will the Planet Notice? How Smart Economics Can Save the World

Image of But Will the Planet Notice?: How Smart Economics Can Save the World
Author(s): Gernot Wagner
Publisher: Hill and Wang (2011)
Binding: Hardcover, 272 pages
List Price: $27.00

Many European nations rank far ahead of the United States in renewable energy, pollution control, and energy conservation, according to Environmental Defense Fund economist Gernot Wagner. He attributes this lead to one factor: market incentives. European governments instituted policies that made clean energy development more cost-effective to use than status-quo fossil-fuel energy.

Calculating Political Risk

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Author(s): Catherine Althaus
Publisher: Routledge (2008)
Binding: Paperback, 304 pages
List Price: $49.95

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

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Author(s): Tim Brown
Publisher: HarperBusiness (2009)
Binding: Hardcover, 272 pages
List Price: $27.99

by Tim Brown. HarperCollins. 2009. 260 pages. Paperback. $27.99.

Design executive Tim Brown attributes many of the boldest innovations in business today to “design thinking,” a radical product-development strategy that “pulls design out of the studio” and channels the creativity of everyone in a company or organization, from the CEO down to the entry-level employee.

Change Design: Conversations about Architecture as the Ultimate Business Tool

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Author(s): Nbbj
Publisher: Greenway Communications (2009)
Binding: Paperback, 250 pages
List Price: $59.95

by NBBJ and Bruce Mau. Greenway. 2009. 250 pages. $59.95.

A well-designed building encourages creativity and cooperation within, according to architectural firm NBBJ and design company Bruce Mau. Their jointly authored and richly illustrated book Change Design showcases new buildings that offer new ways of working. Change Design presents real-life stories of 14 organizations that enhanced productivity, employee satisfaction, energy efficiency, or all three by changing the layout of their office buildings.

Change the World, Change Your Life: Discover Your Life Purpose Through Service

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Author(s): Angela Perkey
Publisher: Conari Press (2010)
Binding: Paperback, 224 pages
List Price: $15.95

by Angela Perkey. Conari Press. 2010. 218 pages. Paperback. $15.95.

China's Ascent

Image of China's Ascent: Power, Security, and the Future of International Politics (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
Author(s):
Publisher: Cornell University Press (2008)
Binding: Paperback, 336 pages
List Price: $23.95

A great power transition likely to affect populations around the world is now under way as economic and political clout shifts from the United States to China, according to political-science professor Ross and international-studies professor Feng.

Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will thrive in the Hotter Future

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Author(s): Matthew E. Kahn
Publisher: Basic Books (2010)
Binding: Hardcover, 288 pages
List Price: $26.95

by Matthew Kahn. Basic. 2010. 260 pages. Paperback. $26.95.

Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future

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Author(s): Linda Stout
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2011)
Binding: Paperback, 240 pages
List Price: $17.95

Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future by Linda Stout. Berrett-Koehler. 2011. 198 pages. Paperback. $17.95.

Communicating with the Future: How Re-engineering Intentions Will Alter the Master Code of Our Future

A business that wants to survive and thrive must do more than simply plan for the future, says Thomas Frey, the DaVinci Institute’s executive director and senior futurist. He advises future-wary businesses everywhere to take personal ownership stakes in creating the future.

Community Leadership 4.0: Impacting a World Gone Wiki

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Author(s): Carolyn Corbin
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (2011)
Binding: Paperback, 258 pages
List Price: $15.99

As society changes, so must leadership practices, says Carolyn Corbin, president of the think tank Center for the 21st Century, in Community Leadership 4.0. She describes the skills that a twenty-first-century leader must have to navigate globalization and nonstop technological change.