Innovation is the common thread in books about Ghana, robots and Carlos Ghosn

The Planet After Geoengineering

Title: “The Planet After Geoengineering”
Authors: Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy   
Publisher: Actar Publishers  
Language: English
Why you should read it: To get a picture of what the world will look like if climate change is dealt with

Everyone is aware of the dire problem of climate change. But not everyone agrees on what to do about it. Because a picture often says more than a thousand words, as the saying goes, the two authors have produced a graphic book depicting possible ways to respond to this very topical problem. The term ‘geoengineering’ in the title refers to the technologies that counteract the effects of climate change. The authors are professors of architecture (at MIT and the University of Michigan respectively) who have also made their mark in the depiction of theories.

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Startup Guide Accra

Title: “Startup Guide Accra”
Publisher: Startup Guides, Berlijn
Language: English
Why you should read it: to let yourself be amazed by an unknown center of innovation

Innovation not only comes from Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. This is what the Startup Guide Accra (Ghana) reveals. The city is one of the most important centers for start-ups in West Africa. Ghana is a healthy and safe marketplace and there is a strong culture of collaboration between a number of sectors, including agriculture. Logistics, food preservation and waste management are fields in which Ghanaian start-ups are thriving. Startup Guide Accra is filled with inside information and tips for entrepreneurs. It also includes interviews with founders and investors.

‘Accra’ is one of the latest editions in the Startup Guide series, first launched in 2014 by Danish publisher Sissel Hansen. The series covers more than 40 cities around the world. Guides on Graz, Warsaw, and Basel and the surrounding area are set to follow soon.

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The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots

Title: “The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots”
Author: Kate Darling 
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
Language: English
Why you should read it: A refreshing way to look at the role of robots

If we see robots as (kinds of domestic) animals, our relationship with these programmed machines will be able to change. At the moment, we often see robots as intruders who will one day replace humans and take away our jobs. Sometimes even when they have a human appearance. The author, an expert in robot ethics (good to know that this field of study also exists), describes in a compelling way that robots will complement rather than replace our own skills and relationships. Darling draws attractive parallels to our own history. She shows the reader how humans have always successfully integrated animals in the workplace, in transportation, and in the military, among other places. Pets can also help us along the way. “Fetch Fikkie!” (You just may say one day to your household robot).

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Collision Course: Carlos Ghosn and the Culture Wars That Upended an Auto Empire

Title: “Collision Course: Carlos Ghosn and the Culture Wars That Upended an Auto Empire”
Authors: Hans Greimel and William Sposato 
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Language: Engels
Why you should read: The rise and fall of a famous manager
 

Thanks to Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO of Renault, and his spectacular escape from Japan, the drab business world will never be the same again. Yet this book is not a true ‘thriller’, but more of a well-researched analysis of the Japanese business world and justice system. The book was published by Harvard Press for a reason. The authors, two American correspondents in Japan, describe the rise and fall of Ghosn, who brought together Nissan and Renault to form a new model for the future. However, the glittering image of the new alliance concealed the clashes between different (corporate) cultures, executives and engineers.

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RE:Think Innovation: How the World’s Most Prolific Innovators Come Up with Great Ideas that Deliver Extraordinary Outcomes

Title: “RE:Think Innovation: How the World’s Most Prolific Innovators Come Up with Great Ideas that Deliver Extraordinary Outcomes”
Author: Carla Johnson
Publisher: Morgan James Publishers
Language: Engels
Why you should read it: A bite-sized (American) method to come up with ideas

Anyone can be an innovator. That is the message that Carla Johnson gives us. It is not true, as is so often implied, that innovators all have a specialized education, plenty of experience, let alone an innate aptitude for something. Instead, the author believes that the truth that remains consistent, is that coming up with good ideas requires neither talent nor education. All you need is to do is go through the 5-step plan in her book in order to look at the world in a different way. Then step 6 is sure to yield a great idea or a useful innovation.

Getting an appetite? Order the books through your local bookstore!