Born into one of the wealthiest families in America--he was the youngest son of Standard Oil scion John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and the celebrated patron of modern art Abby Aldrich Rockefeller--David Rockefeller has carried his birthright into a distinguished life of his own. His dealings with world leaders from Zhou Enlai and Mikhail Gorbachev to Anwar Sadat and Ariel Sharon, his service to every American president since Eisenhower, his remarkable world travels and personal dedication to his home city of New York--here, the first time a Rockefeller has told his own story, is an account of a truly rich life.
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies and studied each in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from the comparison companies and what were the common practices these enduringly great companies followed throughout their history?"
Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels, Built to Last provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the 21st century and beyond.
Threadless.com is the phenomenally successful T-shirt company with more than 4 million tees sold since it began in 2000. It pioneered the online business model of crowd-sourced or community-driven design, in which people submit designs that are voted on by the site's 1 million users and printed. Over the past 10 years, the company has amassed a vast archive of very cool, very hip, and often very entertaining designs, and Threadless is a spectacular showcase of 400 of the very best T-shirts created by the community--a barometer of art and design over the past decade.
Much more than a book of extraordinary graphics, Threadless tells the extremely interesting story that inspired Inc. magazine to hail Threadless.com as "the most innovative small company in America." There are also profiles of individual designers and "think pieces" from influential admirers, including design guru John Maeda, Jeff Howe of Wired, and bestselling business/marketing writer Seth Godin. Praise for Threadless "If you page through this book, you'll see example after example of love, art, and joy."
-Seth Godin, author of twelve international bestsellers "With its message of passion, creativity and fearlessness, the Threadless book is more than just a visually stimulating flip-through. Its 224 pages of design, artwork, and creativity make for an inspirational read for any entrepreneurial start-up."
-Coolhunting.com "Page after page of awesome designs."
-Wired.com "The Threadless book is a treat-more informative than an art book, less boring than a Harvard Business Review case-study, a sweet-spot between commercialism and passion, like the site itself."
-Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.net
This final volume of Wayne G. Broehl, Jr.'s Cargill trilogy brings the history of this large privately held company up to the present day, offering a unique and informative behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's premier agribusiness corporations. The story picks up in 1977 as Whitney MacMillan begins his stewardship of the company and as Cargill begins to work its way through issues of corporate governance, business restructuring, and generational transitions within the owning families. MacMillan leads the company through great growth, diversification, and globalization. Broehl also discusses the changes at Cargill under two non-family CEOs, Ernest Micek and Warren Staley. Together, they transform the organization from a commodity-oriented entity to a customer-focused one.
How did InBev, a Belgian company controlled by Brazilians, take over one of America's most beloved brands with scarcely a whimper of opposition? Chalk it up to perfect timing--and some unexpected help from powerful members of the Busch dynasty, the very family that had run the company for more than a century. In Dethroning the King, Julie MacIntosh, the award-winning financial journalist who led coverage of the takeover for the Financial Times, details how the drama that unfolded at Anheuser-Busch in 2008 went largely unreported as the world tumbled into a global economic crisis second only to the Great Depression. Today, as the dust settles, questions are being asked about how the "King of Beers" was so easily captured by a foreign corporation, and whether the company's fall mirrors America's dwindling financial and political dominance as a nation.
- Discusses how the takeover of Anheuser-Busch will be seen as a defining moment in U.S. business history
- Reveals the critical missteps taken by the Busch family and the Anheuser-Busch board
- Argues that Anheuser-Busch had a chance to save itself from InBev's clutches, but infighting and dysfunctionality behind the scenes forced it to capitulate
From America's heartland to the European continent to Brazil, Dethroning the King is the ultimate corporate caper and a fascinating case study that's both wide reaching and profound.
Privatization has been on the right-wing agenda for years. Health care, schools, Social Security, public lands, the military, prisons--all are considered fair game. Through stories, analysis, impassioned argument--even song lyrics--Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich show that corporations are, by their very nature, unable to fulfill effectively what have traditionally been the responsibilities of government. They make a powerful case that the market is not the measure of all things, and that a vital public sector is an indispensable component of a healthy democracy.
From the woman named one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News & Report
Powerful insights into the practice of motivation
Marilyn Carlson Nelson has achieved global recognition for the Carlson brands of hotels, restaurants, cruise, travel, and marketing services.
But that's only part of the story.
As a daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother, Marilyn has always put people first. When her grandson asked a simple question about her life, she decided to write it all down-her fondest memories and deepest insights-in How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership.
This thoughtful book offers a surprisingly personal glimpse into a multi-faceted woman who happens to be one of the most successful CEOs in the world. She describes the thrill of flying in an F16 over Death Valley (without getting sick), and throwing a barbeque for the KGB (who preferred vodka to the traditional beer). She shares the difficulty of making choices and sacrifices to run her family's business, and the heartbreak of losing a child.
Her insights are sprinkled with the timeless words of Mahatma Gandhi, Anne Frank, Oscar Wilde, Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, and others, as she talks about what it's like to be a woman in today's business world, while reflecting on an engaging array of subjects-from equal rights to corporate wrongs to motherhood. Most compelling of all, she reveals how a meaningful legacy is built one day at a time.
