Summaries of books about Business & Finance:
Kings of Crypto
One Startup's Quest to Take Cryptocurrency Out of Silicon Valley and Onto Wall Street
Jeff John Roberts
The book chronicles the rise of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and its founder Brian Armstrong, detailing the company's journey from a tech startup to a key player in the financial world. It explores the challenges and successes faced in bringing digital currencies into mainstream finance and the impact of this movement on the traditional banking industry.
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Change
How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile Times
John P. Kotter|Vanessa Akhtar|Gaurav Gupta
The book provides a framework for leading organizations through complex and rapid changes, emphasizing the importance of agility, leadership, and innovative strategies. It offers practical advice and real-world examples to guide leaders in transforming their organizations to thrive amidst uncertainty and volatility.
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Consumption Economics
The New Rules of Tech
J. B. Wood|Todd Hewlin|Thomas Lah
The book explores the shift in the technology industry from product-centric to service-centric models, emphasizing how companies need to adapt to changing consumer demands and the rise of subscription-based and outcome-oriented services. It provides insights into how businesses can leverage these new economic realities to create value, innovate their offerings, and transform their revenue models in the face of evolving customer expectations.
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The Forever Transaction
How to Build a Subscription Model So Compelling, Your Customers Will Never Want to Leave
Robbie Kellman Baxter
The book provides a comprehensive guide on creating and maintaining a successful subscription-based business model, focusing on strategies to attract and retain customers by offering continuous value. It covers the principles of the "Membership Economy," including best practices for pricing, community building, and service design to foster long-term customer relationships.
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The Great Reversal
How America Gave Up on Free Markets
Thomas Philippon
The book examines the decline of competition and rise of corporate concentration in the United States, arguing that this has led to higher prices and reduced economic dynamism. It explores the influence of lobbying and regulatory capture on this trend, contrasting it with Europe's more competitive markets.
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Trillion Dollar Triage
How Jay Powell and the Fed Battled a President and a Pandemic---and Prevented Economic Disaster
Nick Timiraos
The book provides an in-depth look at the actions taken by the Federal Reserve under the leadership of Jerome Powell during the unprecedented economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It details the Fed's strategies to stabilize the economy, including clashes with the Trump administration and the deployment of massive financial interventions to prevent a potential economic collapse.
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Chief Customer Officer 2.0
How to Build Your Customer-Driven Growth Engine
Jeanne Bliss
The book provides a strategic framework for businesses to create a customer-centric culture by appointing a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) who leads the effort to align the organization's operations with customer needs. It offers practical advice, tools, and case studies to help leaders drive growth through systematic understanding and enhancement of the customer experience.
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Predictable Success
Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track-And Keeping It There
Les McKeown
The book outlines a model for organizational growth, identifying seven stages through which any business must evolve to achieve sustained success. It provides strategies for leaders to recognize their company's current stage, navigate growing pains, and implement processes to maintain long-term profitability and health.
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The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham Benjamin Graham
The book provides foundational principles of value investing, emphasizing long-term strategies, portfolio diversification, and analysis of a company's fundamentals rather than market trends. It advocates for disciplined investment approaches, such as the margin of safety concept, to protect against significant losses and achieve sustainable financial success.
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The Right Kind of Crazy
A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership, and High-Stakes Innovation
Adam Steltzner|William Patrick
The book recounts the experiences of Adam Steltzner, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as he leads the team responsible for landing the Curiosity rover on Mars. It delves into the challenges of space exploration, the necessity of innovation under pressure, and the dynamics of teamwork in achieving seemingly impossible goals.
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