The Fortune Sellers: The Big Business of Buying and Selling Predictions

An ambitious, intelligent, and very readable guide to understanding our present and our future."–Harry Beckwith, author of Selling the Invisible
No one can foretell the future. Or can they? There are many who purport to–and they are making a fortune. From meteorologists to investment advisers, prognosticating professionals are part of a multibillion–dollar industry. No longer merely fortunetellers, they are fortune sellers, offering us a commodity we′re more than eager to buy: the future.
In this piercing and provocative exposé, business consultant and forecasting expert William Sherden casts an unblinking eye on the booming business of predicting the future, separating fact from fallacy to show us not only how best to use the forecasts we′re given, but how to "select the nuggets of valuable future advice from amongst the $200 billion worth of mostly erroneous future predictions put forth each year.

Spis treści:
The Second Oldest Profession.
When Chaos Rains.
The Dismal Scientists.
The Market Gurus.
Checking the "Unchecked Population".
Science Fact and Fiction.
The Futurists.
Corporate Chaos.
The Certainty of Living in an Uncertain World.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.

Nota biograficzna:
WILLIAM A. SHERDEN is a consultant to international corporations such as AT&T, Citicorp, and Dunn & Bradstreet and a recognized expert on business forecasting. He is the author of the book Market Ownership, as well as more than 25 articles for top academic and business publications. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.

Okładka tylna:
An ambitious, intelligent, and very readable guide to understanding our present and our future."–Harry Beckwith, author of Selling the Invisible
No one can foretell the future. Or can they? There are many who purport to–and they are making a fortune. From meteorologists to investment ad visers, prognosticating professionals are part of a multibillion–dollar industry. No longer merely fortunetellers, they are fortune sellers, offering us a commodity we′re more than eager to buy: the future.
In this piercing and provocative exposé, business consultant and forecasting expert William Sherden casts an unblinking eye on the booming business of predicting the future, separating fact from fallacy to show us not only how best to use the forecasts we′re given, but how to "select the nuggets of valuable future advice from amongst the $200 billion worth of mostly erroneous future predictions put forth each year.