The Smart Swarm - How Understanding Flocks, Schools and Colonies Can Make us Better at Communicating, Decision Making and Getting Things Done
In a world where speed and flexibility are valued more than ever, leaders from the corporate boardroom to the military are looking for answers from seemingly unlikely experts -- the ones in the grass, in the air, in the lakes, and in the woods. In this innovative book, veteran National Geographic editor Peter Miller explains the basic principles of smart swarms -- self-organization, diversity of knowledge, indirect collaboration, and adaptive mimicking -- to show how swarm species such as ants, bees, and fish can teach us to tackle some of the most complex conundrums in business, politics, and technology.
Clinical Decision Support Systems: Theory and Practice
This is a resource book on clinical decision support systems for informatics specialists, a textbook for teachers or students in health informatics and a comprehensive introduction for clinicians. It has become obvious that, in addition to physicians, other health professionals have need of decision support. Therefore, the issues raised in this book apply to a broad range of clinicians. The book includes chapters written by internationally recognized experts on the design, evaluation and application of these systems, who examine the impact of computer-based diagnostic tools both from the practitioner’s perspective and that of the patient.
In a world of geo-political, social and economic uncertainty, Strategic Financial Management is under pressure. This free book reviews the subject within the context of current events. Each chapter contains Activities (with solutions) to test understanding at your own pace. Comprehensive, yet concise, the material is also presented logically as a guide to further study.
First, the investment decision, which maximises net present value and shareholder wealth. Next, the finance decision, which allocates least-cost combinations of capital resources. Finally, the wealth decision, which examines how internal investment and financial decisions should be externally monitored by the market.
Extendable Rationality: Understanding Decision Making in Organizations
“How do people make decisions in organizations?” is the question at the core of this book. Do people act rationally? Under what conditions can information and knowledge be shared to improve decision making? Davide Secchi applies concepts and theories from cognitive science, organizational behavior, and social psychology to explore the dynamics of decision making. In particular, he integrates “bounded rationality” (people are only partly rational).
“De-risking your investments requires knowing that there is much you don’t know.”Risk exists because of one simple fact: Decisions are always based on incomplete information. Therefore, to meet your investment goals over the long term, you must learn to manage the risks associated with a decision-making process that is by nature flawed. Risk and the Smart Investor provides a framework for making such decisions.
