Business Trends 2014 Navigating the Next Wave of Globalization Navigating the Next Wave of Globalization

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Business Trends 2014 Navigating the Next Wave of Globalization Navigating the Next Wave of Globalization Business Trends 2014 Navigating the next wave of globalization Navigating the next wave of globalization Contents Preface | 2 Introduction | 3 Navigating the next wave of globalization Section 1: New consumers | 12 Another billion | 17 Business and social impact | 27 City planet | 37 Section 2: New collaborations | 48 Innovation from everywhere | 53 Social business, global business | 65 Anticipatory supply chains | 77 Section 3: New leadership | 86 Giants, old and new | 91 CFO as chief frontier officer | 103 The C-suite: Time for version 3.0? | 113 Author bios | 124 Acknowledgements and special thanks | 130 1 Business Trends 2014 Preface ELCOME to Deloitte Consulting LLP’s second annual Business Trends report. The purpose of Wthese reports is straightforward: to provide business leaders with clear, concise, and well- informed perspectives on important dynamics that are currently reshaping the business environ- ment. This year we have selected nine trends, all directly related to a major question many clients have been asking us recently: What is going on with the global economy? Sadly, we don’t have a crystal ball, and we can’t predict the future. But we do have the privilege of serving clients who are creating the future; almost 200,000 talented colleagues globally who are helping them, including many outstanding thought leaders; privileged access to some of the best minds on the planet; relentless curiosity; and a commitment to intellectual integrity and rigor. We have drawn upon all of these in the creation of this report—along with a survey of more than 400 senior executives from around the world. There are many critical uncertainties in the global economy today. The challenging recovery from the financial crisis and subsequent recession in the developed economies, the current slow- down of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) economies, mounting geopolitical tensions, and the continuing rise of “back-door” protectionism are among the more obvious sources of con- fusion—and concern. We are committed to tracking and anticipating the consequences of these and other forces on behalf of our clients. But in this report, we have identified key trends that are firmly rooted in longer-term and prob- ably irreversible shifts. Over the last 15 years or so, the balance of the global economy has funda- mentally changed. The distinction between a “developed” and an “undeveloped” world has blurred, as “emerging” nations have very much emerged. The global distribution of wealth that had been diverging since the Industrial Revolution has started to converge again. Stark differences still exist, of course, but the old order is rapidly dissolving—along with many previously safe assumptions about the global business environment. The trends in this report fall into three distinct categories: the emergence of a large, new, and unfamiliar consuming class; increased opportunities for collaboration with newly empowered and influential actors; and new sources—and imperatives—of leadership. Some combination of these trends will increasingly influence the strategic priorities of most companies. We sincerely hope that our perspectives are helpful as you develop your own approaches to . “Navigating the next wave of globalization.” Mike Canning Eamonn Kelly Principal and National Managing Director Director and Chief Marketing Officer Strategy & Operations Strategy & Operations Deloitte Consulting LLP Deloitte Consulting LLP 2 Navigating the next wave of globalization Introduction Navigating the next wave of globalization By Eamonn Kelly LOBALIZATION —broadly defined as increasing worldwide integration and interdependence, Gbased on the flow across national borders of goods, services, capital, people, ideas, cultures, and values—has been an enduring driver of change and development. While the overall trajec- tory of increased worldwide engagement and interaction has been sustained over many hundreds of years, the process has not been smooth or continuous. A hundred years ago, in the buildup to World War I, many decades of global economic integration—sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age”—were rapidly reversed: Meaningful globalization did not resume for around 40 years. Most senior leaders today cut their managerial teeth during a period of deep and rapid global integration. From around 1980, and for almost three decades, global trade increased at about 7 percent per annum on average—twice the rate of growth of global GDP.1 This extraordinary dynamic was empowered by the interplay of three key factors: falling transportation costs coupled with increasingly efficient logistics; radically faster, better, and cheaper communications, including the rise of the Internet from the mid-1990s; and increasingly supportive policy regimes, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite growing resistance in some quarters to the impacts of globalization—especially related to charges of growing inequality and the exploitation of people and the environment—a strong consensus emerged in the worlds of policy, economics, and business regarding both its “rightness” and its apparent inevitability. But today, serious and legitimate ques- tions are again being posed regarding the future of globalization. The widely respected chief international economist of Morgan Stanley, Joachim Fels, recently put forward a “tentative thesis” that 2013 might prove analogous in some respects to 1913. He points to the rush of liquidity into emerging markets (fueled by Western monetary policies after the 2008 financial crisis)—a trend that is now clearly reversing—and the recently growing evidence that many Western companies are repatriating parts of their production processes.2 However, these are not the only reasons to question the current status of globalization. In 2009, following the financial crisis and during the consequent recession, global trade plum- meted, and while it has subsequently bounced back, it has not been increasing much faster than global GDP—far below the long-standing trend line. Capital flows have decreased even more substantially, and have still not returned to their pre-financial-crisis levels. While there has been no significant resurgence in traditional tariff-based protectionist measures, less blatant impedi- ments to free trade have been growing: A recent report by Global Trade Alert identified 431 new 3 Business Trends 2014 Introduction “backdoor” protectionist moves—in a single consequential BRIC economies are gain- one-year period.3 China, India, and others are ing support as each shows signs of weakness becoming increasingly important rule- and along with a recent slowdown in growth. The norm-makers, not simply takers—notably in short-term impact on some emerging-market industries such as life sciences, where they are economies of the US Federal Reserve’s immi- actively challenging Western intellectual prop- nent “tapering” of asset purchases could prove erty and pricing standards. The United States, highly disruptive. motivated by security concerns, has blocked Given these clear indications of uncertainty recent market entry attempts by Chinese and possible disruption ahead, it would be companies.4 Notwithstanding the modest suc- foolish indeed to predict a single scenario for cess of the December 2013 Bali summit of the the future of the global economy. Yet business World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Doha leaders must continue to act with conviction, round of trade liberalization reforms, most even in an era of growing complexity and dis- trade agreements in recent years have been ruption. The opportunities and challenges are regional or “preferential” rather than global. too great to adopt a “wait and see” stance. Bearish scenarios for the future of the hugely Figure 1. Percentage of world GDP, 1820–2008 4 Navigating the next wave of globalization The purpose of this report is to inform and invention were widely distributed—and such action through the identification of Europe was, since the fall of the Roman Empire important and robust trends that will certainly in the eighth century, a relative backwater: matter for years to come—in all but the most violent, divided, and fragmented. But that extremely catastrophic scenarios for the future continent was entering a period of “renais- of globalization. sance” and would soon drive the creation of Two critical and related foundations under- the modern world. pin most of these trends. First, the center of In the 18th century, Europe was gravity for the world economy has obviously home to the twin forces of modernity— shifted profoundly over the last 20 years, blur- the Enlightenment and the Industrial ring the previously stark distinction between Revolution—and a remarkable period of global the developed (primarily Western) economies transformation followed. Europe—followed and what was until relatively recently described by North America—enjoyed astounding levels as “ROW”—the entirety of the rest of the of economic growth and separated rapidly world. Second, this rebalancing of economic from the rest of the world. Economic historian might is inevitably creating a far more complex Angus Maddison obtained telling data from and diverse environment for business. The his research, represented in figure 1. “next wave of globalization” includes powerful This massive divergence of “developed” new actors, and it is multipolar, not a straight- and “less developed” economies continued forward rollout of Western practices, stan- throughout the 20th century, leading to a dards, and values. growing
Recommended publications
  • About Formicio How Business Platforms Pull the Present Into The
    Welcome to our latest How business platforms pull the present into the bulletin, which focuses on future the impact of technology- enabled business platforms. Over the past decade technology-enabled business platforms – the likes of which include Amazon, iTunes and Facebook – have had a In our lead article Peter profound impact on our lives. They have ‘pulled’ us into a future that Boggis and I explore the is different to the one we might have envisaged. emergence of technology- enabled business platforms In their recent article How Business Platforms Pull the Present into and examine how they are the Future, Peter Boggis and David Trafford argue that these different from platforms of business platforms all have one thing in common: they changed our yesterday. We believe that individual and collective behaviour. They pulled our present into considerable lessons can be their future! A future that has now become so familiar it doesn’t feel learned from the like we’ve changed at all! But was this by accident? Did these things development and use of just happen or were they planned? these platforms, particularly how they can be used to Make no mistake: it was all planned. When Jeff Bezos launched ‘pull’ an organisation into its Amazon, he had a clear vision from the outset, as did Mark desired future. Zuckerberg at Facebook and the system architects at Apple. They In our second article we were all building a future in which they believed we would willingly share the insights of two participate. It’s a sure bet that system architects in the likes of thought leaders in this Google are doing the same now.
    [Show full text]
  • Small Business Operations, One Variable Significantly Affects the Bottom Line: the Customer
    When it comes to business operations, especially small business operations, one variable significantly affects the bottom line: the customer. Customers are an extremely powerful force. Is that customer content, overjoyed, disappointed or angry with the product/service offered? Chances are, whatever the reaction, they will let others know by word-of-mouth, whether it’s face-to-face or plastered all over the Twittersphere. After all, businesses live and die by their reputations. We look at the importance of connecting with small business customers through building personal and online relationships. Healthy Relationships, Healthy Business by John George A sure sign of a healthy business, big or small, is returning customers. They like, they buy; they trust, they tell others; they come back. Building relationships has served our shop well for many years. It has allowed us to build, not just maintain market share and to remain competitive in both good and bad economies. If you’re in your 50s, you may remember going to the shoe store downtown. The same guy measured your foot every time. He knew your name, told you how big you were growing and always asked about your father. He was also the guy that rang up the transaction and took your mother’s check. He didn’t ask for I.D. Then he gave you a small gift, in my case a golden egg, laid by a giant red goose. Those were the days when customer relationships and customer service were one in the same. It still works today, maybe even better because now few people expect a company to listen, care and do what they promise.
    [Show full text]
  • Cornell Alumni Magazine
    c1-c4CAMja11 6/16/11 1:25 PM Page c1 July | August 2011 $6.00 Alumni Magazine Well-Spoken Screenwriter (and former stutterer) David Seidler ’59 wins an Oscar for The King’s Speech cornellalumnimagazine.com c1-c4CAMja11 6/16/11 1:25 PM Page c2 01-01CAMja11toc 6/20/11 1:19 PM Page 1 July / August 2011 Volume 114 Number 1 In This Issue Alumni Magazine 34 Corne 2 From David Skorton Farewell, Mr. Vanneman 4 The Big Picture Card sharp 6 Correspondence DVM debate 8 Letter from Ithaca Justice league 10 From the Hill Capped and gowned 14 Sports Top teams, too 16 Authors Eyewitness 32 Wines of the Finger Lakes Ports of New York “Meleau” White 18 10 52 Classifieds & 34 Urban Cowboys Cornellians in Business 53 Alma Matters BRAD HERZOG ’90 56 Class Notes Last October, the Texas Rangers won baseball’s American League pennant—and played in their first-ever World Series. Two of the primary architects of that long-sought vic- 91 Alumni Deaths tory were Big Red alums from (of all places) the Big Apple. General manager Jon 96 Cornelliana Daniels ’99 and senior director of player personnel A. J. Preller ’99 are old friends and Little house in the big woods lifelong baseball nuts who brought fresh energy to an underperforming franchise. And while they didn’t take home the championship trophy . there’s always next season. Legacies To see the Legacies listing for under- graduates who entered the University in fall 40 Training Day 2010, go to cornellalumnimagazine.com. JIM AXELROD ’85 Currents CBS News reporter Jim Axelrod has covered everything from wars to presidential cam- paigns to White House politics.
    [Show full text]
  • PHIL SIMON Is the Author of the • Reach New Customers Why New Systems Fail (Cengage, 2010) • Reduce Costs and the Next Wave of Technologies (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)
    A small seafood restaurant attracts new customers with virtually no marketing budget. An iPad case manufacturer “A powerful, important, and eye-opening book. Simon expertly demonstrates how, by skillfully using generates more than $1M in revenue in four months with only four employees. A voiceover company is able technology, social media, and collaborative tools, even the smallest of businesses can achieve amazing to connect thousands of artists with opportunities, all without expensive hardware and software. A law fi rm levels of success. The New Small is a very big idea. Read it, but be warned: You may want to change your increases access to key information while dramatically reducing technology-related costs and risks. And these life once you’ve fi nished it.” Mitch Joel – President of Twist Image and author of Six Pixels of Separation four companies are hardly unique. A new breed of small businesses is using Software as a Service (SaaS), free and open source software, social media and networks, mobility, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies to do things simply not possible even fi ve years ago. In The New Small, you’ll discover how these companies ABOUT THE AUTHOR creatively and intelligently use technology to: PHIL SIMON is the author of the • Reach new customers Why New Systems Fail (Cengage, 2010) • Reduce costs and The Next Wave of Technologies (John Wiley & Sons, 2010). He consults • Increase internal collaboration and communication companies on how to optimize their use • Create fl exible work environments of technology. While not consulting, Phil speaks about emerging trends and tech- Rife with profi les from a wide variety of industries, The New Small nologies.
    [Show full text]
  • New Perspectives for Fostering Collaboration & Teamwork on A
    New Perspectives for Fostering Collaboration & Teamwork on a... Tue, 7/20 1:34PM 34:33 SUMMARY KEYWORDS book, collaboration, people, companies, teams, hubs, slack, mitch, spokes, zoom, employees, phil, collaborate, organizations, tools, folks, email, technology, leaders, terms SPEAKERS Ginny Bianco-Mathis, Mitch Simon, Phil Simon M Mitch Simon 00:10 Welcome to another episode of team anywhere where CEOs, leaders and experts at building teams, companies, organizations, and amazing cultures G Ginny Bianco-Mathis 00:22 share how to lead from anywhere in the world. I'm your co host on the East Coast, Jim Bianco Mathis, M Mitch Simon 00:28 and I'm your co host on the West Coast, Mitch Simon. And we invite you to join us team anywhere. Today on Team anywhere we have Phil Simons, speaker, Professor, advisor and author of 11 books, including his latest, reimagining collaboration, Slack, Microsoft Teams zoom, and the post COVID world of work. While many leaders are focused on how to go back to the office, Phil cautions is that instead of focusing on when or how to go back, we should instead focus on how best to collaborate. The genies out of the bottle to be the most effective and efficient at work will be a combination of workers in office and out of office. leaders will focus on culture and priorities first, and then choose their collaboration tools to design the best ways of working. The winners in the future will build engagement New Perspectives for Fostering CollaboratiPoang &e 1Te oafm 1w4 ork on a... Transcribed by https://otter.ai and grow profits through maximizing collaboration to Team anywhere.
    [Show full text]
  • Analytics: the Agile Way Cover Vote Source: Data Generated Via Google Forms
    ANALYTICS THE AGILE WAY BY PHIL SIMON Contents Figure P.1 5 Figure P.2 6 Preface Review and Discussion Questions 7 Table I.1 8 Introduction Review and Discussion Questions 9 Figure 1.1 10 Figure 1.2 11 Chapter 1 Review and Discussion Questions 12 Table 2.1 13 Table 2.2 14 Figure 2.1 15 Figure 2.2 16 Figure 2.3 17 Figure 2.4 18 Figure 2.5 19 Figure 2.6 20 Figure 2.7 21 Figure 2.8 22 Figure 2.9 23 Chapter 2 Review and Discussion Questions 24 Figure 3.1 25 Table 3.1 26 Table 3.2 27 Table 3.3 28 Chapter 3 Review and Discussion Questions 29 Figure 4.1 30 Chapter 4 Review and Discussion Questions 31 Figure 5.1 32 Figure 5.2 33 Figure 5.3 34 Figure 5.4 35 Figure 5.5 36 Figure 5.6 37 Figure 5.7 38 Table 5.1 39 Table 5.2 40 Table 5.3 41 Figure 5.8 42 Figure 5.9 43 Table 5.4 44 Figure 5.10 45 Figure 5.11 46 Chapter 5 Review and Discussion Questions 47 Figure 6.1 48 Table 6.1 49 Table 6.2 50 Figure 6.2 51 Table 6.3 52 Chapter 6 Review and Discussion Questions 53 Table 7.1 54 Table 7.2 55 Table 7.3 56 Figure 7.1 57 Figure 7.2 58 Figure 7.3 59 Figure 7.4 60 Figure 7.5 61 Figure 7.6 62 Figure 7.7 63 Figure 7.8 64 Chapter 7 Review and Discussion Questions 65 Figure 8.1 66 Chapter 8 Review and Discussion Questions 67 Figure 9.1 68 Figure 9.2 69 Chapter 9 Review and Discussion Questions 70 Table 10.1 71 Figure 10.1 72 Figure 10.2 73 Figure 10.3 74 Chapter 10 Review and Discussion Questions 75 Figure 11.1 76 Figure 11.2 77 Figure 11.3 78 Figure 11.4 79 Figure 11.5 80 Chapter 11 Review and Discussion Questions 81 Table 12.1 82 Chapter 12 Review and Discussion Questions 83 Chapter 13 Review and Discussion Questions 84 Figure 14.1 85 Chapter 14 Review and Discussion Questions 86 Chapter 15 Review and Discussion Questions 87 100 75 50 25 March 1, 2009 August 1, 2011 January 1, 2014 June 1, 2016 Figure P.1 Foursquare Interest over Time, March 1, 2009, to March 29, 2017 Source: Google Trends.
    [Show full text]
  • Amplify HR How to Silence Poor Communication and Tune in to Your People
    Amplify HR How to Silence Poor Communication and Tune in to Your People With Thought Leader Phil Simon Introduction Thanks to hourly-updating tech and all of its pings, bings, and blurting alerts, the workplace has never been this noisy before. And our tech isn’t the only culprit. Endless emails may buzz back and forth without meaning much of anything, but how is it that face-to-face meetings can spin round and round without actionable plans falling into place? As HR professionals, we’re simply failing to communicate. Loudly. When HR pros drop the informative ball, they fail at their main task: staying intimately connected to their organization’s people. Without a finger on the pulse, our employees—all of their progress, problems, and personalities—slip into a blizzard of white noise. How can HR turn up the dial on effective communication? 2 Introduction Influential business and thought leader Phil Simon cuts through the jungle of our bustling offices and needless buzzwords in his seventh book Message Not Received: Why Business Communication Is Broken and How to Fix It. “Yes, we live in very busy and very noisy times,” he begins. But “in this chaos lies enormous opportunity.” All of our techno tools aren’t evil in and of themselves: It’s how we use them. In this eBook you’ll learn how to: • Use more direct language • Avoid email for task management • Identify your audience It’s time to silence office distractions for good and conduct your people in concert—and hey, maybe even rock out. 3 A Mini History Lesson Before tearing into all of of our language foibles, Simon starts at the beginning… like, the very, very beginning.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategy, Not Technology, Drives Digital Transformation Becoming a Digitally Mature Enterprise
    In collaboration with RESEARCH REPORT FINDINGS FROM THE 2015 DIGITAL BUSINESS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE STUDY AND RESEARCH PROJECT Strategy, not Technology, Drives Digital Transformation Becoming a digitally mature enterprise By Gerald C. Kane, Doug Palmer, Anh Nguyen Phillips, David Kiron and Natasha Buckley #DIGITALEVOLUTION SUMMER 2015 REPRINT NUMBER 57181 RESEARCH REPORT STRATEGY, NOT TECHNOLOGY, DRIVES DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AUTHORS GERALD C. KANE is the MIT Sloan Management DAVID KIRON is the executive editor of the Big Review guest editor for the Digital Transformation Ideas Initiatives at MIT Sloan Management Review, Strategy Initiative. which brings ideas from the world of thinkers to the executives and managers who use them. DOUG PALMER is is a principal in the Digital Business and Strategy practice of Deloitte Digital. NATASHA BUCKLEY is a senior manager within Deloitte Services LP, where she researches emer­ ANH NGUYEN PHILLIPS is a senior manager within ging topics in the business technology market. Deloitte Services LP, where she leads strategic thought leadership initiatives. CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan Copulsky, Carolyn Ann Geason, Nidal Haddad, Nina Kruschwitz, Daniel Rimm, Ed Ruehle To cite this report, please use: G. C. Kane, D. Palmer, A. N. Phillips, D. Kiron and N. Buckley, “Strategy, Not Technology, Drives Digital Transformation” MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte University Press, July 2015. Copyright © MIT, 2015. All rights reserved. Get more on digital leadership from MIT Sloan Management Review: Read the report online
    [Show full text]
  • Eaudio PLAN Professional Library
    PLAN Professional Library eAudio Title Name Authors "I Give You My Body...": How I Write Sex Scenes Diana Gabaldon 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success: Universal Laws Tracy Brian for Achieving Success in Your Life, The 100 Ways to Overcome Shyness: Go From Self-Conscious to Self- Barton Goldsmith, Marlena Hunter Confident 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Ellen Notbohm, Veronica Zysk Asperger's 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure, The Grant Cardone 11 Laws of Likability: Relationship Networking . Because People Do Michelle Tillis Lederman Business with People They Like, The 12 Disciplines of Leadership Excellence: How Leaders Achieve Brian Tracy, Peter Chee Sustainable High Performance 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools for Changing the Game in Your Most David Lax, James K. Sebenius Important Deals 5 Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead Jeremie Kubicek, Steve Cockram 50 Economics Classics 50 Lessons I Learned From the World's #1 Goal Achiever Vic Johnson 50 Prosperity Classics: Attract It, Create It, Manage It, Share It Tom Butler-Bowdon 50 Psychology Classics: Who We Are, How We Think, What We Do Tom Butler-Bowdon 50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life from Tom Butler-Bowdon Timeless Sages to Contemporary Gurus 50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books of Inner Tom Butler-Bowdon Discovery, Enlightenment & Purpose 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Work & Life from 50 Tom Butler-Bowdon Landmark Books 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis Bill George 8 Keys to Building Your Best Relationships Daniel A.
    [Show full text]
  • October 2013 Page 04 States of Surveillance | News Security Or Privacy?
    October 2013 Page 04 States of surveillance | News Security or privacy? Page 06 Big Data | Special Report Correlating the future Page 14 Open Data | Library Digital social innovation Page 15 Communicative TA | The Method Building a dialogue Page 16 Digital freedom | Interview Marietje Schaake: technology must empower Page 19 World Wide Views | Masterclass 3,000 citizens debate biodiversity Page 20 Rayfish man | Highlight Floris Kaayk tells stories Page 21 Spreading TA | Feature Wanted: better times Page 24 Data surveillance | Speakers' Corner Who’s watching EU? Volta - Volume 2013 – no 5 Advisory Board Editorial Sergio Bellucci – Ta Swiss – Swiss Centre for Technology Assessment – Switzerland Iva Vancurova – Technology Centre ASCR – Czech Republic Lars Klüver – Danish Board of Technology Foundation – Denmark Leonhard Hennen – Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) – Germany Editorial Team Antoinette Thijssen (editor-in-chief), Rathenau Instituut – The Netherlands Pascal Messer, Janneke Visser (managing editors), Rathenau Instituut Belén López, Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) – Catalonia Dear readers, Katalin Fodor, Hungarian Academy of Sciences – Hungary Our lives are filled with interactions with digital technology. At school, Marianne Barland, Norwegian Board of work and at home, a lot of our tasks are done digitally. Whenever we Technology – Norway log in (and even when we don’t) we leave behind huge amounts of digital Ingrid Geesink, Rathenau Instituut traces – our digital exhaust. Contributors Marianne Barland, Gaston Dorren, Katalin These digital traces are valuable for many different actors. City planners Fodor, Pál Hegedüs, Jorgen Madsen, Pascal Messer, Hanneke Teunissen want to track our movements through the city to develop better public Text Editor transportation.
    [Show full text]
  • Too BIG to IGNORE
    too BIG to IGNORE THE BUSINESS CASE FOR BIG DATA Award-Winning Author of PHIL SIMON THE AGE OF THE PLATFORM From Too Big to Ignore. Full book available for purchase here. Contents List of Tables and Figures xv Preface xvii Acknowledgments xxiii Introduction This Ain’t Your Father’s Data 1 Better Car Insurance through Data 2 Potholes and General Road Hazards 5 Recruiting and Retention 8 How Big is Big? The Size of Big Data 10 Why Now? Explaining the Big Data Revolution 12 Central Thesis of Book 22 Plan of Attack 24 Who Should Read This Book? 25 Summary 25 Notes 26 Chapter 1 Data 101 and the Data Deluge 29 The Beginnings: Structured Data 30 Structure This! Web 2.0 and the Arrival of Big Data 33 The Composition of Data: Then and Now 39 The Current State of the Data Union 41 The Enterprise and the Brave New Big Data World 43 Summary 46 Notes 47 Chapter 2 Demystifying Big Data 49 Characteristics of Big Data 50 The Anti-Definition: What Big Data Is Not 71 Summary 72 Notes 72 Chapter 3 The Elements of Persuasion: Big Data Techniques 77 The Big Overview 79 xi ftoc.indd 11 2/15/2013 4:28:36 PM xii CONTENTS Statistical Techniques and Methods 80 Data Visualization 84 Automation 88 Semantics 93 Big Data and the Gang of Four 98 Predictive Analytics 100 Limitations of Big Data 105 Summary 106 Notes 107 Chapter 4 Big Data Solutions 111 Projects, Applications, and Platforms 114 Other Data Storage Solutions 121 Websites, Start-ups, and Web Services 128 Hardware Considerations 133 The Art and Science of Predictive Analytics 136 Summary 137 Notes 137 Chapter
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Introduction It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. —Henry David Thoreau rofessional writers and speakers like me live interesting lives. I’d hazard to guess that most of us work from home, although some maintain proper Poffices. And when you work from home, strange things can happen. For one, it can become difficult to separate work from leisure. There’s no boss looking over your shoulder to see if you’ve completed that TPS report. Did you get that memo? If you want to take a nap in the early afternoon as I routinely do, no one’s stopping you. In a way, people like me are always at work, even though we’re not always working. It’s fair to say that the notion of work-life balance can be challenging. Lines usually blur. Maybe they’re even obliterated. In many ways, working from home could not be more different from working for “the man.” Even today, many rigid corporate environments block employees from visiting certain websites via services like Websense. And forget the obvious sites (read: porn). At many companies, there’s no guarantee that employees can access websites that serve legitimate business purposes, at least without a call to the IT help desk to unblock them. Examples include Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Of course, many employees in indus- trialized countries sport smartphones these days, minimizing the effectiveness of the Websenses of the world. As a result, many companies have reluctantly embraced the Bring Your Own Device movement. That genie is out of the bottle.
    [Show full text]