June 08, 2011

Futurist Books - many free books on global trends

Futurist Books - many free books on global trends: "Patrick Dixon's latest book is SustainAgility - about the $40 trillion green tech revolution and how profitable innovation will help protect our world. He has written 15 books, including Futurewise and Building a Better Business, with 545,000 books printed in 27 languages (English, French, German, Greek, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, Thai, Portugese, Estonian, Latvian, Russian, Czech, Hausa, Nepalese, Paite, Hindi, Urdu, Hungarian, Luganda, Nepalese, Telegu, Amharic, Xhosa and Swahili), plus a million free chapters downloaded in just 15 months. Dr Dixon is often described in the world's media as Europe's leading Futurist, and has been ranked as one of the world's 20 most influential business thinkers - global survey 2005.

Free copies of 'AIDS ACTION' are available now in English, Spanish, French and Russian and many other languages listed above, in bulk, to organisations for distribution in developing countries"

Future of Insurance - insurance industry trends

Future of Insurance - insurance industry trends: "Industry videos, articles and presentations given by Futurist conference keynote speaker Patrick Dixon to insurance industry audiences around the world. What is the future of the insurance industry? Future of online insurance, domestic and motor insurance, life and health insurance, commercial insurance and insurance underwriting. You will find many resources below on particular insurance trends.

Insurance is about managing risk: sharing risk exposure across a wide number of people or organisations. Insurance is therefore at root a community activity: each setting aside money on a regular basis to form a common fund which is used to assist members in times of crisis due to an insured event. Insurance is fundamental to daily life in developed nations, enabling individuals and businesses to manage their existence with a measure of security.

The insurance industry is often seen in the media in a negative way: 'they keep premiums as high as possible and pay out as little as possible'."

Future of Banking - Safe Strategy for Banks

Future of Banking - Safe Strategy for Banks: "'I have worked with many of the world's largest banks over the last 15 years. One of the greatest challenges facing every multinational bank is TRUST - or rather restoring trust. And one of the greatest risks is collective BLINDNESS. Failure to see banking needs through the eyes of customers; dangerous assumptions that past trends can predict future; failure to look beyond the typical banking view of global trends. BENCHMARKING is a lazy way to lead (and possibly destroy) a bank: 'We follow industry best practice', 'We take an average industry-wide position on this issue'. As we have seen, it is possible to sleep-walk with the rest of an industry into great danger, comforted by the large number of other banking leaders who have adopted similar strategies. Banks need clear vision, moral strength, prudent and agile leadership, flexible strategy, and customer focus.' Patrick Dixon, Chairman Global Change Ltd and author of Futurewise."

Career Advice: Seize Your Destiny Make a Difference Find Your Purpose

Career Advice: Seize Your Destiny Make a Difference Find Your Purpose: "Career advice, personal purpose and fulfillment. Secrets of satisfaction and happiness. Career development, vocation and personal goals. Happynomics is the relationship between economic progress and personal happiness. Secrets of ethical leadership, corporate purpose and business strategy, change management and turning strategy into reality. Small business leadership and multinationals. Team leadership, organograms and organizational structures. Leadership crisis, and how to develop strong leadership. Motivational leadership, and why motivation matters. Leadership in a crisis. Knowing your destiny. Leadership to command attention, win trust, connect with passion. Leadership ethics and values, leadership development. Business and not-for-profit leadership. Why all people can show leadership depending on situation Dealing with conflict in leadership teams. Integrity, ethics and values in leaders. Video by Futurist Patrick Dixon, author of Futurewise and Building a Better Business. Making a difference and creating a better world."

Secret of Business Success: most important value in world

Secret of Business Success: most important value in world: "The message of this video will change your life and strengthen your business. Building a Better Business by building a better world. Show how you make a difference in the lives of your customers, clients, consumers. Biggest ethical test for every culture and every nation: creating a better world, improving life for people. This core value drives every political debate, underwrites all laws, and is the basis of all team leadership. It is impossible to lead effectively for long without using this principle: will the world be a better place as a result of this activity or not? It is the key to all effective management, marketing and motivation. The Better World principle applies to every industry including banking, retail, communication, technology, manufacturing, health care, construction, energy, transport and aviation."

Secret of Business Success: most important value in world

Secret of Business Success: most important value in world: "The message of this video will change your life and strengthen your business. Building a Better Business by building a better world. Show how you make a difference in the lives of your customers, clients, consumers. Biggest ethical test for every culture and every nation: creating a better world, improving life for people. This core value drives every political debate, underwrites all laws, and is the basis of all team leadership. It is impossible to lead effectively for long without using this principle: will the world be a better place as a result of this activity or not? It is the key to all effective management, marketing and motivation. The Better World principle applies to every industry including banking, retail, communication, technology, manufacturing, health care, construction, energy, transport and aviation."

Manufacturing - Future Trends

Manufacturing - Future Trends: "Issues for manufacturers: controlling risks and quality in outsourcing and offshoring, supply chain management, prices of raw materials – especially energy. Finding next generation efficiencies – perfection in process management. Future of engineering and robotics, 3D modeling, faster prototyping, speed to market and innovation. Sustainability: protecting the environment in a profitable way.

Challenge in manufacturing: maintaining competitive advantage in manufacturing when most products in an industry sector are converging in design, price and quality – yet most real innovation is divergent, doing things differently to serve customers better.

Strategy: manufacturing leaders need to be agile, with more than one strategy to be successful in risky and uncertain times.

Greatest manufacturing risk: institutional blindness – when manufacturing management are surrounded by too many people who have been in the same industry too long.

Greatest manufacturing opportunity: breath-taking innovation which really captures the imagination and passion of customers."

Future of the Automotive Industry (Auto Trends)

Future of the Automotive Industry (Auto Trends): "Future of automotive industry – articles, videos and presentations on the future of the auto industry by Futurist conference keynote speaker Patrick Dixon. There are many key trends which will impact automotive manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, customers and drivers over the next decade. Here are a few which relate specifically to energy use, development of electric cars and more efficient trucks / lorries, plus new public transport / buses.

Revolution on the roads
Expect to see many rapid improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency using petrol and diesel, and many new ultra-efficient hybrid vehicles. Even if we only saw 30% energy saving in 30% of vehicle miles driven in developed nations over the next decade, we would save at least 9% in motoring energy use (at today’s rate of miles driven a year). That would be the same as cutting today’s global emissions by more than 1%.

Greening of the world car fleet is happening rapidly. JD Power Consultancy estimates that a third of emission cuts by 2020 will come from improving petrol and diesel engines, and 14% from miles driven in electric vehicles.

If all vehicles in America were hybrids, and half were plug-in hybrids (larger batteries), US imports of oil would fall by 8 million barrels a day or by 80% of daily consumption."

Future of the Food Industry

Future of the Food Industry: "Video: conference keynote on the future of the food industry and related issues for Femsa in Mexico, which owns over 7,000 food stores.

Future of the food industry – articles, videos and presentations on the future of the food industry by Futurist conference keynote speaker Patrick Dixon. Clients in the food industry include the Irish Food Board, Tetrapak, Rexam, Unilever, Danone, Sara Lee, Femsa. Food is an emotional business – just think of a mother’s anxieties when there is yet another scare about contamination of baby food. The same applies to drinks. So if we want to understand the future of food and beverages, we need to understand how consumer emotions are changing.

Food is fundamental to nutrition, health, growth and general well-being. Yet food can also be a poison, with 1 in 3 newborn babies born in New York this week likely to develop adult-style diabetes at a young age because of obesity. The food industry will become (even) more tightly regulated, but smart companies will always lead the way – as we have seen in nation after nation on issues such as clear food labeling, reduction of salt content and saturated fats."

Future of Packaging Industry

Future of Packaging Industry: "uture of packaging – articles, videos and presentations on the future of packaging by Futurist conference keynote speaker Patrick Dixon.

The packaging industry will continue to face relentless and growing pressures from manufacturers, wholesalers, logistics and supply chain companies, retailers, government regulators and above all from consumers, to look great, prevent damage, reduce cost, cut waste and reduce energy use.

The perfect mass-market retail package always protects what is inside, and promotes the brand on the outside – with distinctive shape, unique opening method, and other instantly recognizable brand elements. It is light-weight, compact, low cost, easy to track through the supply chain, and easy to recycle.

The perfect premium-market retail package can become a fashion icon in it’s own right – a collector’s item even after the contents of the package have been removed or used up. Ecological issues can fade away. The premium package is a public statement about the customer’s own personal brand image."

Future of Aviation Industry - Radical Change

Future of Aviation Industry - Radical Change: "Future of Aviation and Airlines – articles, videos and presentations on the future of aviation, airlines, travel and tourism by Futurist conference keynote speaker Patrick Dixon. His clients include Air France, KLM, EADS / Airbus, Virgin Atlantic, Dassault Falcon.

Future of Aviation and Airlines: The travel and hospitality industries are amongst the most vulnerable to global or local shocks. That means contingencies, cash reserves, hedging of major risks such as oil prices. But most of all it means agile and bold leadership who think ahead, with more than one strategy depending on how events unfold.

Airline manufacturers and airlines themselves will continue to exploit significant energy savings over the next 20 years from a wide range of new technologies, including better airline engine design, lighter composite fuselage, more direct aircraft routing. Efficiencies will also be gained from fuller planes, faster turnaround, economies of scale (consolidation of smaller airlines). For more on greener aviation, see below."