Everything Is Obvious

Author : Duncan J. Watts
Publisher : Atlantic Books
ISBN 13 : 0857895060
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.66/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Everything is Obvious written by Duncan J. Watts and published by Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2011-07-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why did Facebook succeed when other social networking sites failed? Did the surge in Iraq really lead to less violence? And does higher pay incentivize people to work harder? If you think the answers to these questions are a matter of common sense, think again. As sociologist and network science pioneer Duncan Watts explains in this provocative book, the explanations that we give for the outcomes that we observe in life-explanations that seem obvious once we know the answer-are less useful than they seem. Watts shows how commonsense reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into thinking that we understand more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems so often go awry. Only by understanding how and when common sense fails can we improve how we plan for the future, as well as understand the present-an argument that has important implications in politics, business, marketing, and even everyday life.

Author : Duncan J. Watts
Publisher : Currency
ISBN 13 : 0307951790
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.93/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Everything Is Obvious written by Duncan J. Watts and published by Currency. This book was released on 2012-06-26 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By understanding how and when common sense fails, we can improve our understanding of the present and better plan for the future. Drawing on the latest scientific research, along with a wealth of historical and contemporary examples, Watts shows how common sense reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into believing that we understand more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems so often go awry. It seems obvious, for example, that people respond to incentives; yet policy makers and managers alike frequently fail to anticipate how people will respond to the incentives they create. Social trends often seem to be driven by certain influential people; yet marketers have been unable to identify these “influencers” in advance. And although successful products or companies always seem in retrospect to have succeeded because of their unique qualities, predicting the qualities of the next hit product or hot company is notoriously difficult even for experienced professionals. Watts' argument has important implications in politics, business, and marketing, as well as in science and everyday life.

Author : Steve Krug
Publisher : Pearson Education
ISBN 13 : 0321648781
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.85/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Don't Make Me Think written by Steve Krug and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2009-08-05 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five years and more than 100,000 copies after it was first published, it's hard to imagine anyone working in Web design who hasn't read Steve Krug's "instant classic" on Web usability, but people are still discovering it every day. In this second edition, Steve adds three new chapters in the same style as the original: wry and entertaining, yet loaded with insights and practical advice for novice and veteran alike. Don't be surprised if it completely changes the way you think about Web design. Three New Chapters! Usability as common courtesy -- Why people really leave Web sites Web Accessibility, CSS, and you -- Making sites usable and accessible Help! My boss wants me to ______. -- Surviving executive design whims "I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book. Don't Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site. After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book. In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing. If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book." -- Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing with Web Standards

Author : Brian Zahnd
Publisher : InterVarsity Press
ISBN 13 : 1514003341
Total Pages : 158 pages
Book Rating : 4.43/5 ( download)

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Download or read book When Everything's on Fire written by Brian Zahnd and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2021-11-09 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is it possible to hold on to faith in an age of unbelief? Intellectual certainty has long been a cornerstone of the Christian faith. But in an age of secularism, skepticism, and cynicism, our worldviews have been shaken. Various solutions exist—some double down on certainty, while others deconstruct their faith until there is nothing left at all. But Brian Zahnd offers a third way: what is needed is not a demolition but instead a renovation of faith. Written with personal and pastoral experience, Zahnd extends an invitation to move beyond the crisis of faith toward the journey of reconstruction. As the world rapidly changes in ways that feel incompatible with Christianity, When Everything's on Fire provides much-needed hope. A stronger, more confident faith is possible when it is grounded in the beauty and truth of Christ. Zahnd permits us to risk the journey of deconstruction so that God can forge something more beautiful in its place.

Author : Bill Walsh
Publisher : Caboodle
ISBN 13 : 9780978879952
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.53/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Obvious written by Bill Walsh and published by Caboodle. This book was released on 2012-04-01 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive look at specifically what it takes to breakthrough your biggest challenges and live your biggest dreams! It gives you the keys for you to make it happen by identifying "The Universal Laws for Business Success." Once you know what they are, you can put them into action to get the results you want. Bill Walsh and Power Team International are dedicated to giving you the obvious tools (and even the not-so-obvious ones) to expedite your success. He knows firsthand what it takes to overcome challenges and make your business and lifestyle dreams happen. Bill's vision is to provide mentoring opportunities for people like you who are ready for massive success!

Author : Duncan J. Watts
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393325423
Total Pages : 376 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age written by Duncan J. Watts and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2004-01-27 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Watts, one of the principal architects of network theory, sets out to explain the innovative research that he and other scientists are spearheading to create a blueprint of this connected planet.

Author : Charles Tilly
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400837782
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Why? written by Charles Tilly and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-23 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why? is a book about the explanations we give and how we give them--a fascinating look at the way the reasons we offer every day are dictated by, and help constitute, social relationships. Written in an easy-to-read style by distinguished social historian Charles Tilly, the book explores the manner in which people claim, establish, negotiate, repair, rework, or terminate relations with others through the reasons they give. Tilly examines a number of different types of reason giving. For example, he shows how an air traffic controller would explain the near miss of two aircraft in several different ways, depending upon the intended audience: for an acquaintance at a cocktail party, he might shrug it off by saying "This happens all the time," or offer a chatty, colloquial rendition of what transpired; for a colleague at work, he would venture a longer, more technical explanation, and for a formal report for his division head he would provide an exhaustive, detailed account. Tilly demonstrates that reasons fall into four different categories: Convention: "I'm sorry I spilled my coffee; I'm such a klutz." Narratives: "My friend betrayed me because she was jealous of my sister." Technical cause-effect accounts: "A short circuit in the ignition system caused the engine rotors to fail." Codes or workplace jargon: "We can't turn over the records. We're bound by statute 369." Tilly illustrates his topic by showing how a variety of people gave reasons for the 9/11 attacks. He also demonstrates how those who work with one sort of reason frequently convert it into another sort. For example, a doctor might understand an illness using the technical language of biochemistry, but explain it to his patient, who knows nothing of biochemistry, by using conventions and stories. Replete with sparkling anecdotes about everyday social experiences (including the author's own), Why? makes the case for stories as one of the great human inventions.

Author : Robert East
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 1446241858
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Consumer Behaviour written by Robert East and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2008-05-19 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A wonderful (and very unusual) balance between areas of marketing that are often at odds with each other (or, worse yet, unaware of each other)... I recommend it to any student, researcher, or manager in marketing' Peter Fader, Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor; and Professor of Marketing, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania 'Exceptional for the amount of relevant research that is presented and explained. Students who have read and understood this text are likely to be much more of use to industry' Fergus Hampton, Managing Director, Millward Brown Precis Written in a focused and accessible form by respected marketing academics, Consumer Behaviour helps readers to develop analytical and evidence-based thinking in marketing and avoid more formulaic approaches that lack the support of research. With a strong focus on the use of research, this book will really appeal to the specific needs of higher-level students. The book covers important material that is often missing in consumer behaviour texts. For example, whole chapters are devoted to brand loyalty, brand equity, biases in decision-making, word of mouth, the response to price and the effect of advertising. Shorter reviews cover evidence on topics such as loyalty programmes, the response to delay and retail atmospherics. Chapters are quite short and divided into sections. Each chapter contains exercises designed to draw out key ideas and consolidate understanding, and there are suggestions for further reading. A website to support the book has an Instructor's Manual that offers PowerPoint slides, discussion of exercises, computer programs, a suggested Masters-level course, and a Word file of references to assist students writing assignments.

Author : Laura Nowlin
Publisher : Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1402277849
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.49/5 ( download)

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Download or read book If He Had Been with Me written by Laura Nowlin and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2013-04-02 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If he had been with me everything would have been different... I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial. So let me tell you...

Author : Duncan J. Watts
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691188335
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.31/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Small Worlds written by Duncan J. Watts and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: