Seiko, Swatch, and the Swiss Watch Industry (with Aled Maclean-Jones)

Slide Rule recounts Nevil Shute's experiences from childhood fascination with aviation, through his work as a draughtsman at De Havilland, chief calculator on the R100 airship, to establishing and managing Airspeed Limited during the Great Depression. It highlights the successful private R100 versus the disastrous government-backed R101 crash, critiquing bureaucracy in engineering projects, and covers test flights and aircraft development up to 1938.

Published in 1759, 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments' is Adam Smith's first major published work, based on his lectures at Glasgow University. The book argues that morality is driven by humanity's natural sociability and the need for approval from peers, rather than by rational calculation or innate moral sense. Smith introduces key concepts such as sympathy, the impartial spectator, and the invisible hand, which explain how individuals judge the conduct and character of themselves and others. The work delves into the emotional and social aspects of human behavior, highlighting the role of emotions like pity and compassion in shaping moral sentiments and behaviors.

In this influential business book, Clayton Christensen shows how even the most outstanding companies can lose market leadership when they fail to adapt to disruptive innovations. Christensen explains why companies often miss new waves of innovation and provides a set of rules for capitalizing on disruptive technologies. The book uses examples from various industries, including the disk drive, mechanical excavator, steel, and computer industries, to illustrate trends that lead to success or failure in the face of disruptive technologies.