Unpredictable and unforeseen, or black swan, events are occurring increasingly often, one such recent example is the coronavirus crisis of 2020. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, with its growing use of artificial intelligence, intelligent robots, intelligent informats and intelligent algorithms, may help us to confront these incidents but only if we can avoid the sector optimization logic of some forms of economic thinking. This book offers a multi-faceted presentation of the application of systemic thinking in non-standard situations, especially those created by the fourth industrial revolution. It develops models and mini theories to promote systemic thinking at a time when cascades of innovations are entering the economy, while at the same time black swan events are occurring and disrupting social systems. It takes a critical look at how organizations and social systems have chosen to organize themselves to develop systems that prioritize high performance, by focusing on cost-cutting and maximizing profits, instead of on preparedness elasticity and resource slack. The consequences of this kind of organizational streamlining becomes evident only when the ‘black swans’ loom. The author discusses how individuals and society can develop the resilience needed to deal with these incidents. He asserts that there are three central social mechanisms that can help us understand how social systems work and how they are interconnected: time-lag, threshold value, and feedback. These three concepts can help us to understand how changes occur in non-linear systems; for instance, how small changes at the micro level can lead to large changes at the macro level. This book will be of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of economics, finance, business and industry.

This book provides deep insight into the emergent Chinese innovation economy, as we head towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It describes, discusses and analyzes the period from China’s opening up to foreign investment in the 1980s until the New Silk Road project, from 2013 onwards. The developments are assessed from a systemic thinking and evolutionary economic standpoint. The book presents the latest research findings on the direction and achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the results both for China, the countries along the new Silk Road, as well as for Europe and the United States are brought to light. The author asserts that the phenomenon of the New Silk Road as an innovation generator can be understood and explained through the effects of various social mechanisms. He labels these five social mechanisms as: the locomotive force; the explosive force of the butterfly effect; the force of co-creation; the force of expectation; and the force of competence. The book presents 20 cases to substantiate the descriptions, analysis, theoretical reflections and the practical utility of the questions examined in each chapter. It utilizes economic history research methods, scenario thinking, futures research and conceptual generalization to offer different views on the research problem under investigation. Further, the book offers policy suggestions, which include promoting effective macroeconomic policies, and extending microeconomic cooperation schemes, related to the innovation economy. The book will appeal to academics, researchers and graduate students concerned with Chinese economic expansion, Chinese foreign policy and US- and Europe-China relations, as well as policymakers and political advisors.

Economic inequality, the environmental crisis and the climate crisis are systemically linked. Accordingly, they should be understood as a single, interconnected system and strategies for resolving them should be guided by this understanding. This book demonstrates how the Green New Deal and its systemic alternative, the Red New Deal, could influence the course of these three global crises, all within the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The author has developed several scenarios that are relevant to the automation that will result from advances in artificial intelligence and intelligent robots. The first is one of mass unemployment, while the second envisages low rates of unemployment, although workers will experience stagnation and then a decline in their wages. It is possible to envisage a different set of scenarios; however, we must replace the capitalist economic model with a different model: mutualism, a sustainable model that would allow for economic growth while also addressing the three current systemic crises. The author argues that if such a model is implemented, there will be jobs for everyone and the climate crisis will be tackled because people’s welfare will be prioritized over profit. We can assert that such a model will foster the development of economic equality. The basic premise of this mutual and sustainable economic model is that sustainability is in everyone’s interests. The book employs not only established and innovative methods, such as literature reviews, scenario thinking and historical methods, to underpin its arguments, but also conceptual generalization as an intellectual tool to tackle the general research problem; thus, it will be an invaluable resource for scholars and students of sustainability and the innovation economy.

This book is a practical guide on how to write conceptual papers and use conceptual generalization as a research methodology. Divided into two parts, the book first focuses on the scientific foundation for conceptual generalization, to identify what is a conceptual model and how conceptual models can be developed. Part two focuses on how to write a winning conceptual thesis, covering conceptual generalisation and empirical generalisation, and discusses research problems and questions, and how to analyse them. The authors cover different conceptual and analytical models to offer students a multitude of tools to visualize, interpret and uncover relationships and patterns. For example, they explore the thought experiment, analytical models, empirical causal models, analytical forms and data mining models, and outline a strategy for developing conceptual models to assist with students who wish to design their own conceptual paper. Students gain a clear understanding of the driving forces in the research process, how to define a research problem, how to analysis the problem and develop research strategies. Moving from concepts to hypotheses, the book also covers the main types of errors that may be encountered as students learn about understanding the development of models and how to develop a theory. Also including a checklist for students, and a list of definitions and concepts, this is the ideal resource for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, and researchers, in the social sciences.

Managers and leaders spend a great deal of time on communication; it binds together all the communications in the organisational system. In other words, communication is the glue that impacts on the effectiveness of communication in the entire organization, therefore the style of leadership communication has a profound impact on how the organization works. If too much ‘glue’ is used, the consequence is information overload, which hampers effective communication. If there is too little glue, individuals and entire organizations may find themselves in a pathological state of disorder, with people filling the information vacuum with rumours and gossip. Leadership communication can be involving and participatory, motivating colleagues to be creative and put in as much extra effort as is necessary. Leadership communication can also be power-based and patronizing. Such a style of communication will cause tensions and conflicts within an organization. In this textbook, the author shows how information and communication are parts of a special type of interaction, namely situations in which you want to gain trust or influence people. With a plethora of case examples and practical exercises to get stuck into, this engaging book helps students gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and contexts described in each chapter, such as communication strategies, influencing techniques, communication and values, and communication and trust. The second half of the book offers six personal communication tools, and six personal coaching tools, with assignment to each of the coaching tools. In addition, the book provides 66 exercises to the six personal communication tools. Ideal reading for those taking leadership and communication courses, this textbook takes a practical approach to the key issues in organizational communication that will prepare students for their careers in business.

The innovation economy is the driver for the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and consequently, there is a growing focus on innovation in general and technological innovation in particular. In this context, there is much to suggest that it is the triple impact of artificial intelligence, big data and 5G- and 6G networks that will go beyond the limits of existing competence. This book is about the new competence that is emerging in the wake of artificial intelligence and intelligent robots. It explains how these two technologies are completely fundamental to what is known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The author argues that artificial intelligence will promote automation, which will reduce wages rather than increase unemployment statistics. The book posits that when the utility value of technology and the rate of dissemination of technology is high, people who have the necessary competence will both future-proof their jobs in the labour market and also be among the highest-paid workers in the new economy that is emerging from the innovation economy. Further, by making education more compatible with new technology will enable graduates to access more secure and better paid jobs, and all behavioural fields related to new technology will flourish because they can be used in many contexts to steer people’s behaviour in certain directions through the integration of big data and artificial intelligence. The book employs the following scholarly methods: conceptual generalization, scenario-based thinking and historical economic methodology, thus it will be of particular benefit to academic scholars, researchers and graduate students who are concerned with the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the labour market.

The growth of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase global wealth and tackle some of the world's most serious problems, including economic marginalization. In contrast, these innovations may contribute to widening economic gaps and potentially threaten the stability of democratic governments. Changes in economic growth and distribution are occurring in both developed and developing countries due to the impact that new technologies are having on businesses and the workplace. This book provides answers to the question of whether the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as Artificial Intelligence, will lead to greater economic uncertainty, environmental collapse, and social unrest or whether they will help achieve shared prosperity and sustainable development, and successively the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book focuses on Human-centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the responsible deployment of diverse technologies for achieving sustainable development. It examines why the human-centred approach is so crucial to long-term success. It underlines the definition of human-centred AI and its importance in creating sustainability and resilience. It starts with a comprehensive history of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, details how to produce artificial intelligence that is centred on humans in order to accomplish sustainable development in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and then goes on to discuss the need for proper management and governance of emerging technologies. The book ends by presenting a framework that will assist stakeholders in employing AI in a human-centred manner to achieve the sustainable development goals set for 2030. The book will appeal to scholars, academics and researchers interested in information linked to the SDGs, AI and industry 4.0.