Despite many decades of research, we seem to linger in a state of confusion regarding what leadership is and if or how it might be cultivated. The book offers a new perspective on leadership, whereby what defines leadership is not one’s position or successful conduct but action of a certain kind. More specifically, leadership is about realizing the human potential to think, create or act outside the boundaries of what is known and safe in order to serve the greater good. What distinguishes “acts of leadership” is that they take place in a sphere of ambiguity and uncertainty. As such, acts of leadership are essentially risky, bold and adventurous. Obstacles and opponents are to be expected and no measure of success can be guaranteed. By placing leadership in its unique sphere of action, we realize that widely accepted prescriptions for rational or sensible conduct do not apply and that relying on them may shut us down before we even begin. We further appreciate that such acts exemplify “action” in its deepest sense: what we choose to do as free individuals in an uncertain universe, and how we do it, is a self-defining act; it makes us who we are.

In recent years, information technology has become a significant factor in public policy, whether as an area in which to pursue policy, as a tool for implementing policy, or as a reflection on the social environment in which policy is shaped. The aim of this edited collection of articles is to present to the academic and general public a vivid updated picture of the relationship between the spread of the use of various information technologies and the design and operation of public policy. This is the first book in Hebrew to shed light on the changes taking place in public policy in the 21st century as a result of new techno-social processes. The collection includes articles written by researchers from various fields of knowledge: communications, law, education, political science, and public policy. The diversity of knowledge bases, theoretical frameworks, and research methods allows for a comprehensive and complex discussion of the relationships between information technology and public policy. These relationships raise several key issues discussed in the articles included in the edited collection. The first issue is that information technologies are a new area of public policy, and as such, these technologies and their distribution create multiple challenges for the state as designer and regulator of its citizens' living environment. A second issue concerns the penetration of information technologies into the field of civic participation in policymaking and policy implementation. The wide distribution of social networks, as well as the assembly and analysis of big data are being used to reshape the civil participation environment. A third issue relates to the fact that information technologies are resources in their own right in democratic processes in general, and in policy design in particular. For example, significant parts of the public debate on a variety of policy topics take place through social networks, which are privately owned by Internet platforms. Additionally, access to social networks and advanced technological capabilities can be seen as an important resource for influencing policymaking processes.

Since the establishment of the state and until 1985, Israel’s capital market was mostly nationalized. The government controlled most of the financial activities, and the scarce private activity was shared by only a few institutions that lacked real competition. A long line of reforms that took place since 1985 and to this day revolutionized the banking structure, the capital market and the pension system: • The government reduced its involvement almost completely • The funding means of the business sector and of households expanded tremendously • International capital movements were liberalaized • Conflicts of interests were reduced and the competition amongst financial institutions was improved. The book is divided into 3 parts: The demand for investment in means of production and housing; the funding supply of these investments; and the financial institutions and their supervising system. Every chapter covers a description of a different aspect of the Israeli capital market before exploring the market failures that plagued it and the reforms that alleviated them. A special emphasis is dedicated to the importance of resisting the pressure of interest groups and to the lessons that need to be implemented in the tasks that still lay ahead.

Modern Investment Theory is the only book published in Hebrew on this central topic for students and practitioners of business and economy. The book opens with a review of the investment environment and the structure and institutions of the Israeli capital market, as well as a description of the assets traded in the equity, debt, and derivative markets. Since Israel is a small economy, its interactions with global financial markets is highlighted. The core concepts are presented by order of their evolution and contribution to the field: from rational and behavioral decision-making in states of risk, to Portfolio Theory, the CAPM, and advanced theoretical and empirical models, including five-factor models. Three chapters are devoted to fixed income pricing and risk, and two chapters address derivative assets and their pricing. Some of the chapters introduce for the first time in Hebrew financial crises and their impact on the real economy and on society, private capital, behavioral finance, and international finance. Many of the concepts of modern investment theory were developed by prominent researchers; some won Nobel or other prestigious prizes. To sixteen of these outstanding researchers, seven of whom are Israeli, I devote special boxes entitled "Figures from the Hall of Fame," highlighting their contribution to the field. Pedagogically, the book follows the American model where each chapter is accompanied by a Powerpoint presentation file, the chapter is briefly summarized, has a list of key terms, and between twenty to forty questions. Teachers can access all chapter solutions.

Successful innovation – the key to competitive growth and profit – rests on disciplined management of the innovation process, from idea inception to customer service. This book answers, first, the key questions: why innovate? What to innovate? How to innovate? And who innovates? It then provides 10 essential and practical tools to help innovators guide their ideas to marketplace success. Innovation Management is a pioneer in this new and rapidly growing discipline. Supported by over a hundred international case studies and action-learning exercises – as well as a CD to illustrate all these concepts and strategies with video lectures and useful interviews – this book will be invaluable to business leaders and strategists, students of management, and entrepreneurs.