Chris Malone – författare

Why we choose companies and brands in the same way that we unconsciously perceive, judge, and behave toward one another People everywhere describe their relationships with brands in a deeply personal way—we hate our banks, love our smartphones, and think the cable company is out to get us. What's actually going on in our brains when we make these judgments? Through original research, customer loyalty expert Chris Malone and top social psychologist Susan Fiske discovered that our perceptions arise from spontaneous judgments on warmth and competence, the same two factors that also determine our impressions of people. We see companies and brands the same way we automatically perceive, judge, and behave toward one another. As a result, to achieve sustained success, companies must forge genuine relationships with customers. And as customers, we have a right to expect relational accountability from the companies and brands we support. Applies the social psychology concepts of "warmth" (what intentions others have toward us) and "competence" (how capable they are of carrying out those intentions) to the way we perceive and relate to companies and brandsFeatures in-depth analyses of companies such as Hershey's, Domino's, Lululemon, Zappos, Amazon, Chobani, Sprint, and moreDraws from original research, evaluating over 45 companies over the course of 10 separate studiesThe Human Brand is essential reading for understanding how and why we make the choices we do, as well as what it takes for companies and brands to earn and keep our loyalty in the digital age.

Find the perfect design for a pot holder for any time of the year or occasion to dress up your kitchen. Pot Holders for All Seasons includes 20 easy-to-make whimsical appliqued pot holders which will appeal to both quilters and sewists. Select one of the designs, pull out your scrap basket and you're ready to start stitching. Tutorial sidebars include raw-edge fusible appliqué, padded appliqué, mitered corner binding and cutting bias strips. Templates are also included.'Jazz up your pot holders and bring life to the kitchen with these fun designs. Practical yet charming to look at. These quilted pot holders are in a variety of designs, quick to make and perfect for gifts.' www.yarnsandfabrics.co.uk

Desperate to break out of the anachronistic community where she has grown up, Poppy determines to save the planet her way, but naivety means she becomes inextricably tangled in the confusing espionage of Caernef. She idolises the enigmatic Miranda, who pays scant attention to her young admirer.By 2034, Nathan, tech-genius of the previous books, has become a multi-billionaire through his Virtuality cyber games. He creates Pia, Poppy's digital twin, unethically, using AI. Poppy is incandescent.As the Caernef gang, led by Robin, reconvenes, Poppy is caught between Miranda and Robin's competing versions of #FutureProof.Virtuality and reality collide in the Future Galactic programme. The future of the planet depends upon the unique fingerprints of both Poppy and Pia.

'We have gone so far down the slippery slope of progress, that we all now need to call a halt. We are slaves to technology, we are polluting our planet at an alarming rate, and too many of our leaders are concerned with lining their own pockets rather than enabling hardworking citizens to thrive. Even more astounding is the emerging evidence that responsibility for the glitch lay, not with cyber-terrorists, not with the #isolators, but with our own government. Friends, there is a way forward ...' Robin FitzWilliam, summer 2025Set after the events of the glitch, Miranda investigates who is behind the series of attacks on national infrastructure in a race against time to prevent a total lockdown of technology. Her arch enemy, Robin, a misfit who is bold enough to speak out, and who lures mavericks into making an ethical stand to challenge the status quo, might be her only hope. Now, framed with murder and on the run from the authorities, Miranda is determined to get as deep into Robin's campaigns as she can, to live and breathe Robin, not only to be her shadow, but to be her.Meanwhile, #isolate is gaining momentum, playing out in the countryside and the cities against the backdrop of a looming general election. An ingenious algorithm is used to promote #Spoiler: 'Legitimately spoil your ballot paper and be counted. Make a difference!'How is it all linked? But more importantly, who can she trust?

Post-pandemic dependence on tech is shattered by the glitch, a cyber-attack, which temporarily knocks out power and communication networks. Hoping to escape society, securing a peaceful life off grid, Robin is thwarted, becoming stranded in Oxford when an unexpected second glitch strikes. Desperate to make it back to Caernef Camp, Robin recruits three companions and is joined by a mysterious gate-crasher. Through a series of bizarre circumstances, the group is pulled into a conspiracy. Competing gangs challenge assumptions about progress and prosperity. With the future of society again at stake, who holds the key to stop the glitch?