Entropy Vector: Connecting Science and Business

Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 11
1 Disorderly Signposts business success • socially responsible capitalism • leadership and change • excitement of entropy • signposts to chapters......Page 14
Ockham, Planck and Mother Nature......Page 21
Entropy, engines and cycles......Page 24
The degradation of energy......Page 26
Interim report......Page 28
Notes and quotes......Page 29
3 Life, the Universe and Entropy vectors, pool tables and Isaac Newton • forces for change • inflation and pollution • physics and information • Isobel’s message • Maxwell’s demon......Page 31
Inflation, disorder and pollution......Page 34
Entropy and physics......Page 36
Probability and information......Page 38
Isobel’s message......Page 40
Maxwell’s demon......Page 43
And so to conclude …......Page 44
Notes and quotes......Page 45
Going against the flow?......Page 47
Boltzmann vs. Clausius......Page 50
Lost in Bilbao, queuing in Detroit......Page 53
Taking control by letting go......Page 57
Summary......Page 60
Notes and quotes......Page 61
5 Energy and Entropy scattering the seed • organic companies • exergy conservation • energy management......Page 63
Law and disorder......Page 64
Scattering the seed......Page 65
A matrix analysis......Page 67
Organic companies......Page 69
Indeterminateness and degradation......Page 71
The two products of the economic process......Page 73
Green design......Page 74
Notes and quotes......Page 76
6 Time and Entropy who created God? • entropy as the arrow of time • time management • bored in transit • information flows • optimised production......Page 78
Arrows of time......Page 79
Time running backwards?......Page 83
Bored in transit......Page 87
Information and knowledge......Page 89
The march of time......Page 91
No more time......Page 94
Notes and quotes......Page 95
7 Managing Disorder good management techniques • teams and training • flat-lining • control freaks • pantomimes and orchestras • change and risk......Page 96
Potential = Collaboration + Training......Page 97
Managing the entropy vector......Page 100
Management types......Page 101
Fit for the purpose......Page 107
Education, efficiency and economies......Page 110
Change and risk......Page 112
Notes and quotes......Page 113
8 Creativity and Innovation what is creativity? • what is innovation? • harnessing them in business • technology trajectories • woolliness, bananas and knots • entropy and technopy......Page 115
Three approaches to creativity......Page 116
Innovative footsteps......Page 118
Woolly and creative thinkers......Page 119
Creating creativity......Page 123
Technopy......Page 127
Coffee and a matrix......Page 132
Notes and quotes......Page 134
ontRe-pRenur......Page 137
Winning at the risk game......Page 140
Parable of the talents......Page 141
Elephants and rabbits......Page 143
Drawing boundaries and vision......Page 145
Coping with failure......Page 147
The risk vector?......Page 149
Notes and quotes......Page 150
10 Mental Entropy education and training • memory and analysis • efficiency, effectiveness and distinctiveness • diversity of skill and attitude • employee and team skills • science and measurement......Page 152
Memory vs analysis......Page 154
Computers to the rescue?......Page 157
Zeno’s paradox......Page 161
Closing time......Page 164
Notes and quotes......Page 165
11 Entropy Trade-offs power packs and technology vectors • labour market, incentives and equilibrium • improbable happenings......Page 167
Mobile power packs......Page 168
Technology trajectories......Page 170
Damn braces. Bless relaxes. (William Blake, 1757–1827)......Page 172
Acceptable diversity of wealth?......Page 177
Making the improbable happen......Page 179
Ancient and mega......Page 180
Desirable redundancy......Page 183
Notes and quotes......Page 184
1. Tools......Page 186
4. Redundancy......Page 187
7. Don’t design for neatness......Page 188
9. Manage perceptions......Page 189
Note......Page 190
Index......Page 191