New Books in Business, Management, and Marketing

Long before Google, Amazon, or Microsoft, computer technology shaped how people worked, how markets operated,
and how businesses became big. After World War II, military officials
and their partners in industry looked to the newly invented electronic
computer as they sought to cut costs, speed up labor,
manage supply chains, and—they hoped—bring stability to the postwar
economy. Their efforts would shape early computer science and the first
applications of computer technology in manufacturing and business, with
profound consequences for workers and managers alike. By the 1960s,
practices originally developed to improve industrial efficiency were
being used by Wall Street, influencing how markets worked and even how
traders thought. Digital technology became central to finance, tying
together far-flung trading floors and automating decision making—with
alarming consequences, including the 1987 Black Monday crash.

In Coding Capitalism: Computers and the Remaking of the Postwar US Economy
(Columbia University Press, 2026), Dr. Devin Kennedy offers a new
history of the digital economy, showing how the computer emerged
from—and transformed—capitalism in the United States. He traces how
computer science and technology were made by industry, which molded
computation to manage factories, financial markets, and entire firms.
Drawing on the archives of businesses, computer researchers, regulators,
and financial institutions, Coding Capitalism retells the story of the postwar economy and the computer, revealing how mid-century
business laid the foundations of the digital world. Bridging business
and economic history with the history of science and technology, this
book uncovers the prehistory of big tech and demonstrates how capitalism has shaped computing since its invention.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book
focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty
negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative
analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find
Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. 
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Michael Brand is a CX strategist and trainer, based in Switzerland, who has been named a Thinkers 360 Top 50 Global Thought Leader on Customer Loyalty. Dr. Vincent Covello directs the Center for Risk Communications, and is a nationally and internationally recognized trainer, researcher, consultant, and expert in emergency, crisis, risk, and change communications. Deanna Leonard is a futurist, executive coach, and AI transformation leader. Her career has spanned senior leadership posts across a wide range of Fortune 500 companies.

In this freewheeling, one-hour roundtable discussion, the focus is on the Customer Experience through the lens of both the opportunities and misuses that AI involves. The topics addressed include the following: 1) the importance of active listening, 2) the 20 words that can make or break an exchange with a customer, 3) how front-line CX employees can be enabled to do their jobs better, and 4) the need for training budgets to be protected, if not increased. In emotional terms, two feelings rise to prominence in this session: fear (of not being heard and responded to) and trust (rooted in the demonstration of caring before knowledge gets shared or an action-step taken). The answers as to who people trust, and why, when experiencing stress will be sure to surprise you.

Real Transformations: Business Change That Works from the Inside Out is co-hosted by Julie Anixter and Dan Hill, PhD, entrepreneurs with deep experience as corporate change agents, devoted to helping companies make continuous change work for everyone through clarity and connection. To learn about their keynote talks, workshops and labs, check out Real-Transformation.com.
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In times of deep uncertainty, the university needs to transform
itself into an entrepreneurial entity to maintain long-term evolutionary
fitness. Dynamic Universities (Cambridge University Press, 2026) explores
how strategic, entrepreneurial leadership can help US higher education
institutions thrive amid unprecedented challenges. Drawing on the
dynamic capabilities’ framework, David J. Teece and Sohvi Heaton provide a strategic roadmap to help university leaders identify
emerging opportunities and threats, take decisive action, and sustain
competitiveness. Through compelling case studies including Stanford and
Berkeley and interviews with global university leaders, this book offers
practical insights into managing complexity, fostering innovation, and
building resilient academic ecosystems.
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Make Your Brain Work By Amy Brann Neuroscience expert, author, consultant and global speaker

Make Your Brain Work: Perform at a Higher Level (Kogan Page, 2025) is a practical, science-backed guide to improving focus, performance
and mental energy without burning out. Written for people balancing
multiple responsibilities, the book explains how to stay productive,
mentally sharp and in control, even when demands and pressure are high.

The
book also explores the neuroscience of smarter leadership,
high-performing teams and innovation. Brann examines working memory,
what the mind needs to achieve goals and how to help the brain perform
at an optimal level.

Drawing from current neuroscience, Amy Brann translates complex research about the brain into clear
strategies readers can apply in everyday work and life. She explores
why attention fades, distractions take over and decision-making becomes
more difficult when the brain is tired or under stress.

The
book emphasizes that high performance is not simply about pushing
harder. It is about understanding what the brain needs to function well
and creating habits that support focus, creativity, resilience, clear thinking and sustainable success. 

Key Ideas:

The brain performs best when its limited attention and energy are managed intentionally.

Understanding working memory can help us process information, solve problems and pursue goals more effectively.

Mental
rehearsal can activate neurons and strengthen neural circuits even when
an action is only imagined. For example, imagining your finger
contracting can prepare your brain and muscles to perform the movement
more effectively.

Neuroscience can help leaders make smarter decisions and create the conditions for high-performing teams.

Brain-aware leadership can encourage collaboration, creativity, innovation and meaningful change.

Mental fatigue can weaken focus, self-control and the quality of our decisions.

Working
with the brain, rather than continually forcing it beyond its limits,
can support greater success while helping to prevent burnout.

Key Takeaway from the Conversation:

One of the strongest ideas from the conversation is recognizing that
our brain can help us become smarter leaders, more creative thinkers and
stronger performers. Brann’s insights about working memory and
high-performing teams show that success is not only about effort. If you
read the book, you’ll learn how to think clearly, innovate, collaborate
and achieve meaningful goals.

Brann does not focus only on
managing fatigue or avoiding burnout. She also demonstrates how
understanding the brain can help people lead more effectively, develop
innovative ideas, make smarter choices and perform at a higher level. 

About Podcast Host

Angela Marie Hutchinson is the author of “Create Your Yes! When You
Keep Hearing No,” named a Forbes No. 4 book to advance your career. She
is a podcast host for New Books Network, where she leads conversations
for the neuroscience and Christianity channels. Hutchinson is also a
talent and intellectual property executive, former social media
professor and BBC commentator. She resides in Los Angeles with her
husband and three children.
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The world has changed dramatically in just the past few years and so has negotiation. Traditional negotiating tactics, while still effective, need to be
tailored to vastly different situations and circumstances. In Negotiation: The Game Has Changed (Princeton University Press, 2025), Harvard Business School professor Max H. Bazerman,
a legendary pioneer in the field of negotiation, shows how to negotiate
effectively today by adapting proven negotiation principles and
strategies to challenging new contexts. Negotiation is a fundamentally new way of thinking about the importance of context in negotiation. 
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