BiblioVault

Blockchain Foundations

For the Internet of Value

Mary C. Lacity

Epic Books, 2020

While there are many books on blockchains, this guide focuses on blockchain applications for business. The target audience is business students, professionals, and managers who want to learn about the overall blockchain landscape — the investments, the size of markets, major players and the global reach — as well as the potential business value of blockchain applications and the challenges that must be overcome to achieve that value. We present use cases and derive action principles for building enterprise blockchain capabilities. Readers will learn enough about the underlying technologies to speak intelligently to technology experts in the space, as the guide also covers the blockchain protocols, code bases and provides a glossary of terms. We use this guide as the textbook for our undergraduate and graduate Blockchain Fundamentals course at the University of Arkansas. Other professors interested in adopting this guide for instructional purposes are welcome to contact the author for supporting instructional materials.

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Blockchain Fundamentals for Web 3.0

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Mary C. Lacity

Epic Books, 2022

Our book explains the movement to establish online trust through the decentralization of value, identity, and data ownership. This movement is part of ‘Web 3.0’, the idea that individuals rather than institutions will control and benefit from online social and economic activities. Blockchain technologies are the digital infrastructure for Web 3.0. While there are many books on blockchains, crypto, and digital assets, we focus on blockchain applications for Web 3.0. Our target audience is students, professionals, and managers who want to learn about the overall Web 3.0 landscape—the investments, the size of markets, major players, and the global reach—as well as the economic and social value of applications.

We present applications that use Web 3.0 technologies to unlock value in DeFi, NFTs, supply chains, media, identity, credentials, metaverses, and more. Readers will learn about the underlying technologies, the maturity of Web 3.0 today, and the future of the space from thought-leaders. This textbook is used by undergraduate and graduate Blockchain Fundamentals courses at the University of Arkansas, the University of Wyoming, and other universities around the world. Professors interested in adopting this book for instructional purposes are welcome to contact the authors for supporting instructional materials.

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Collaborative Disruption

The Walmart and P&G Partnership That Changed Retail Forever

Tom Muccio

Epic Books, 2024

Collaborative Disruption is an insider’s account of the relationship between two of the most successful companies on the planet—Walmart and Procter & Gamble—and the transformative impact their collaborative strategy has had on their business for more than thirty years, particularly in the retail industry. Their innovative partnership produced what has come to be known as the “one-company model,” an approach that has fundamentally changed how suppliers and their retail customers interact with each other. Tom Muccio, who led the team at P&G that innovated this concept with Walmart, outlines how the two firms broke through silos, self-interest, short-termism, and suspiciousness to forge a mutually beneficial partnership focused on trust, shared information, and transparency. A masterclass in this model of collaboration that has been key to the success of several of the biggest companies around the world, Collaborative Disruption at its heart is a book about change management and vision.

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Confessions of an Entrepreneur

Simple Wisdom for Starting, Building, and Running a Business

Mark C. Zweig

Epic Books, 2022

Winner, 2022 Goody Business Book Awards, Entrepreneur, General Category
Finalist, 2022 Goody Business Book Awards, Entrepreneur, Start Ups / New Business Category

With more than fifty years of professional experience, Mark C. Zweig has seen it all—from the fear and excitement of starting a new business to the joys and challenges of life as an entrepreneur. In Confessions of an Entrepreneur: Simple Wisdom for Starting, Building, and Running a Business, Zweig draws upon this wealth of experience to offer practical, easy-to-understand guidance for bringing a business to life and cultivating success at every stage of its development. The candid stories he shares from his career provide insight into the realities of business ownership and illustrate proven principles for both personal and professional success. Written by an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs, this book is an indispensable guide filled with wisdom for new and seasoned business leaders alike.

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Ethereum for Business

A Plain-English Guide to the Use Cases that Generate Returns from Asset Management to Payments to Supply Chains

Paul Brody

Epic Books, 2023

In Ethereum for Business, Paul Brody provides a plain English guide to doing business on the world's largest blockchain. The book covers an overview of Ethereum, business applications on Ethereum, and various advanced topics. Including case studies and examples from the world of Ethereum, Ethereum for Business is readable both linearly and by dipping in and out of chapters.

The book is aimed at business executives who want to understand the potential of blockchain for solving real-world business problems, and readers with technical knowledge who want to understand the business use cases.

Ethereum for Business covers topics such as:

• Basics of blockchain technology and key components on wallets, tokens, and keys.
• Decentralization in digital marketplaces, smart contracts, privacy, scalability, supply chain management, trade finance, payments and asset transfers, and tokenomics.
• Transforming the world of enterprise computing by enabling companies to model and manage assets, real or digital, that exist off-chain.
• A guide for implementation that contains key success metrics for enterprises considering blockchain-based solutions.

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The Making of the Supply Chain

How Five CSCMP Supply Chain Hall of Famers Shaped the Industry

Remko van Hoek

Epic Books, 2024

In The Making of the Supply Chain, Remko van Hoek explores the stories of five very different supply chain pioneers—George Stephenson, Henry Ford, George Lauer, Elizabeth Dole, and J. B. Hunt—to demonstrate how innovations in supply chain management have changed the world by reshaping how we obtain our products and services.

Van Hoek reflects on these leaders’ seminal achievements in supply chain management, relates their breakthroughs to current best practices and opportunities for the future, and chronicles how other leaders have converted lessons from these Hall of Famers into new breakthroughs.

Informed by his work with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Supply Chain Hall of Fame,Van Hoek presents these inspiring stories in an engaging and highly accessible style.

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Purple on the Inside

How J.B. Hunt Transport Set Itself Apart in a Field Full of Brown Cows

Kirk Thompson

Epic Books, 2019

J.B. Hunt Transport hit the national business scene as a trucking company led by a dynamic founder known for his boundless optimism, untamed vision, and salesmanship. The company has since transformed into a multi-billion-dollar business by balancing business savvy and execution with an enduring entrepreneurial spirit—a rare feat in any industry.

J.B. Hunt’s triumphs and struggles provide a fascinating case study of how business theory, leadership, culture, and organizational best-practices have combined to create one of the most successful companies in American history. Kirk Thompson, with more than forty years of experience inside the company, gives a CEO’s account of the company’s evolution, while Matt Waller connects the leadership decisions to business theories that are transferrable to other leaders and industries.

Purple on the Inside is more than a corporate history or business management primer. It’s a practical case study that illustrates what Seth Godin described in Purple Cow, his best-selling book that considers what characteristics make for a remarkable business. It’s the story of leaders and team members who tap into their founder’s spirit for innovation while maintaining the focus and high level of performance needed to grow. It’s a story about developing partnerships, technologies, and expertise that others can’t easily duplicate. And it’s a story of overcoming disheartening setbacks and cultivating the purple cows that have allowed J.B. Hunt Transport to do what many experts said was impossible—stand out from its competition in an industry full of brown cows.

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Values-Driven Authentic Leadership

Essential Lessons from the LeadershipWWEB Podcast Series

Andrew Braham

Epic Books, 2022

In Values-Driven Authentic Leadership: Essential Lessons from the LeadershipWWEB Podcast Series, Andrew Braham, Matthew Waller, and John English examine the intersection of values, authenticity, and leadership. Drawing upon numerous conversations with a wide range of professional leaders, including several Fortune 500 CEOs, the authors identify six key opportunities for leadership growth: having a mentor, being in a group, knowing yourself, navigating transitions, being a mentor, and values and company culture. By sharing their own experiences, Braham, Waller, English, and the leaders they interview bring the facets of authentic leadership to life with personal insight.

Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, a student or a professional, Values-Driven Authentic Leadership will help guide you on your own leadership journey.

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