What is the difference between a fire fighter and an architect? One deals with crises as they arise while the other is capable of building something that can withstand all weathers. Using this analogy, Architects of Change provides you with the tools to grasp, leverage and harness the dynamics that shape tomorrow's markets. It encourages you to nurture an entrepreneurial mind-set to transform the way a business – or even an entire industry – operates. Tackling crucial topics related to geopolitics, creative destruction, fake news, resilience and creativity, this book gives you the tools to analyse your environment and future trends in order to reinvent the way you do business. It teaches you how to: · Identify actors of change · Conduct simulations about the future · Assess threats of political instability · Build a strategy for a profitable and sustainable firm amid ongoing uncertainty · Become an architect of change yourself. Containing original interviews with industry insiders, including a world-famous expert on brands and luxury, the former CEO of a major think tank, a thought leader from CISCO, the former chairman of the US National Intelligence Council, and a former chief political scientist of a large Asian bank, this book helps you to understand the type of imagination and creativity this business environment requires not only to survive, but thrive.

The often tense relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been at the center of many of the major political shifts that have occurred in the Middle East since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. This volume documents a study of how relations between the two powers have unfolded in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine from 2003 through January 2009. Wehrey et al. detail the complex and multidimensional relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran and its implications for regional stability and U.S. interests. In doing so, the authors challenge conventional thinking about Saudi-Iranian relations, arguing, for example, that Sunni-Shi'a distinctions are not the key driver in dealings between the two nations, that the two states have a tendency to engage on areas of common interest, and that the notion of a watertight bloc of Gulf Arab states opposing Iran is increasingly unrealistic. The study concludes with U.S. policy recommendations for leveraging the Saudi-Iranian relationship, particularly in the context of a U.S. drawdown in Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the Iranian nuclear issue.

What will be the key societal challenges that the EU will need to address within the next two decades? Building on an evidence base provided by a review of literature, data and insights from over 200 international experts from academia, think tanks, policy and the private sector, this report explores evidence and uncertainties underpinning global societal trends and the challenges they provide for policymakers. The report analyses trends under the following themes: income equality and global middle class; a globally expanding and ageing population; employment and the changing labour force; evolving patterns and impacts of migration; and the potential of connected societies for empowering individuals. Commissioned on behalf of the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS), the goal behind this research effort is to help put in place a lasting framework to assess salient global trends. With this foundation, the report concludes that there are a number of salient policy challenges clustered around three themes: 1) Investing in citizens: Equipping EU citizens with the tools to seize opportunities and protect the most vulnerable; Preparing for a new growth paradigm: Focusing on wellbeing beyond productivity growth and enabling businesses to compete globally and in the internal market; and 3) Reinventing government: Recalibrating the public sector machinery and services to accommodate the realities of the 21st century. Some trends and challenges are much more uncertain however. The report suggests that the EU should increase its own resilience, limit vulnerability to the most unpredictable trends, and better define and enact policy responses.