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Oct 4, 2024 5:16 PM

Author:Chris Anderson

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What happens when advances in technology allow many things to be produced for more or less nothing? And what happens when those things are then made available to the consumer for free?

In his groundbreaking new book, The Long Tail author Chris Anderson considers a brave new world where the old economic certainties are being undermined by a growing flood of free goods - newspapers, DVDs, T shirts, phones, even holiday flights. He explains why this has become possible - why new technologies, particularly the Internet, have caused production and distribution costs in many sectors to plummet to an extent unthinkable even a decade ago. He shows how the flexibility provided by the online world allows producers to trade ever more creatively, offering items for free to make real or perceived gains elsewhere. He pinpoints the winners and the losers in the Free universe. And he demonstrates the ways in which, as an increasing number of things become available for free, our decisions to make use of them will be determined by two resources far more valuable than money: the popular reputation of what is on offer and the time we have available for it. In the future, he argues, when we talk of the 'money economy' we will talk of the 'reputation economy' and the 'time economy' in the same breath, and our world will never be the same again.

Reviews

Turns traditional economics upside down

—— Guardian

Even if you're a freesheet-reading Spotify user, this is the best £18.99 you'll ever spend

—— GQ

an insightful, steady and scrupulous analysis

—— Financial Times

There are many books about the workings of the new economy, but Anderson ... [is] ... one of the most reliable and skilful guides. Free is worth the money

—— Management Today

an enjoyable jaunt through business land

—— Daily Telegraph

Dan and Chip Heath have done it again ... Any leader looking to create change in his organization need not look beyond this little book. It is packed with examples and hands-on tools that will get you moving right away. And it is really a fun read

—— BusinessWeek

Chip and Dan Heath have mined the latest psychological research to work out how to engage our emotional brain, and encourage us to focus on "bright spots" - techniques proven to help us change bad habits - rather than merely telling us what we're doing wrong

—— Psychologies

Provides a useful framework for understanding change and is full of suggestions for "fooling yourself"- and those around you - into making changes you want to make but can't

—— Director

A particularly absorbing and entertaining read

—— Financial Times

A cautionary tale for those who believe that the grass - and their future paycheck - would be greener if only they could jump the fence into the rarefied world of the Masters of Business Administration

—— New York Times

Original, clever, funny - and full of insights into one of the most influential insitutions in the world

—— George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

What They Teach You...' is a hilarious, perceptive and unflinching account of the strange world of Harvard Business School, its students and the wider world of business which they are set to dominate. It is the Liar's Poker of the MBA set. Destined to become a classic

—— Albert Read, General Manager of Conde Nast

Informative, wry, and well-written, this book will make rewarding and pleasurable reading for anybody wishing to understand why business is the way it is.

—— John Cassidy, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Dot.Con

Kirkpatrick's amazing reporting details what happens when a hacker culture turns into a multi-billion-dollar firm. Mark Zuckerberg sought to maintain that hacker energy, and it's fascinating to hear what resulted

—— Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired and author of The Long Tail

Engrossing. . . . A detailed and scrupulously fair history of [Facebook]

—— Rich Jaroslovsky , Bloomberg Businessweek
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