This book challenges traditional views of corporations and leadership in the knowledge economy, arguing that the current landscape has shifted. It highlights the crisis of legitimacy faced by big businesses, including trust issues in the pharmaceutical industry and growing income disparities, while critiquing the detrimental focus on shareholder value.
In “Growth: A Reckoning,” economist Daniel Susskind addresses the complex relationship with economic growth. He discusses its role in prosperity and its costs, advocating for a reevaluation rather than abandonment. Susskind offers original approaches to combat economic slowdown while emphasizing the need for growth to align with genuine values.
Bethany Allen’s “Beijing Rules” exposes China’s pursuit of global dominance using capitalism to expand its authoritarian influence. The Chinese Communist Party coerces worldwide acceptance of its rules by linking profits to political compliance. Western democracies played a role in the rise of authoritarian capitalism. The book urges action to prevent the loss of freedoms.
这本书编排设计得好比一首交响乐曲，有着对比鲜明的主题。一个主题是展示监控资本主义技术上的卓越和高超，读到引人深入之处，你会误以为在阅读一部信息技术的书籍。作者对IT企业的新闻报道和管理者的讲话做了长期的跟踪和研究，成书过程中对许多IT人士进行了采访。另一个主题这是对监控资本主义进行道义和社会层面的剖析和批判，对信息技术高超之处的披露总是无一例外地峰回路转到对灵魂的拷问。
作者的雄心是发明科学的、可用数学表达的定律，主导解释动物、植物、生态文明，城市、公司企业的规模发展规律，类似牛顿定律能施展魔力。
如果我们生活在确定性世界，所有的随机性不确定性将会剥夺，一切事情将会被轻松搞定。我们各自的真实的看似确定的生活实际上是随机样本路径（random sample path）的一部分，而历史事件也是可替代的随机路径（alternative sample path）的一部分。比如说，你选择在不同的城市生活，分别代表在不同的随机样本途径，具体的每一天生活似乎很确定，但这是来自不确定的样本途径的化身和代表。在现实的世界里发生的事情应被当作随机事件来观察，有概率，有波动性。
所谓第七感（The seventh sense）, 是在当今广泛连线的网络世界里获得权威，利益，获得生存的能力。
