Using the words of its own people, this intriguing book provides an in-depth look at the incredibly successful airline that changed the rules of the game with a no-frills business model and innovative corporate culture. Southwest Airlines turns in-depth interviews with the company's leaders, managers, employees, and passengers into a powerful case study of this highly successful, game-changing business. Ranging from the early days of the company to the present, the book covers the history of the airline and its founders, while also detailing the unique corporate culture that attracts employees and passengers alike. Throughout its history, Southwest has championed a culture that puts employees first, creating a productive workforce by hiring for "attitude before aptitude" (because skills can be taught) and allowing employees to be themselves at work. The founders' philosophies of "servant leadership" and a "fun-LUVing" attitude continue to attract employees and influence the company's daily work today. In detailing the airline's inner workings in the words of its own people, this book shows other companies how they can emulate Southwest's powerful business model and strategies, as well as its hiring practices and corporate culture.

Ask any established business owner to identify his or her toughest challenge when just starting out, and you'll likely get this answer: raising capital. Most aspiring entrepreneurs know far too little about the sources of money that can help start a business or fuel its growth. Where do you get capital? What are investors looking for? How do you ask for money in a way that gets results? This book answers these and many other critical questions. Even more important, entrepreneur and consultant David Nour shows how to develop long-term relationships with financial partner--the people who can help keep a business humming throughout its life.

"The Entrepreneur's Guide to Raising Capital," designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the money-raising maze, shows how to attract financing to fund the start-up and growth phases any business moves through. It answers the most common--and the most perplexing--questions entrepreneurs have about financing a business: How do I put together a credible request for funds? How do I choose wisely from among the plethora of financial and strategic investors, consultants, investment bankers, and other intermediaries? How do I identify and avoid the risks associated with various sources of capital? How do I plan for the right kind, amount, and source of smart capital as the business evolves? How do I get the highest return on invested capital? How do I avoid the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when raising capital?

This book provides real-life, pragmatic advice from entrepreneurs who have raised money from friends, family, angel investors, and banks, as well as institutional investors such as venture capitalists and private equity firms. It details the process from start to finish while spotlighting the danger spots and ways to avoid them. It will be especially useful to those who are uncomfortable making important financial decisions, and to those who are confused by all the conflicting opinions offered by advisors--both well meaning and otherwise. By showing readers the financing ropes, Nour removes a major source of stress for budding entrepreneurs and moves them closer to their dream come true: a successful business.

Offering a theoretically coherent and integrated introduction, the book examines how communication (symbolic activity) occurs in a range of contexts from individual perception and thought to interpersonal and public situations. It provides solid theoretical grounding for understanding the centrality of communication, integrating research on gender throughout so that it is understood as a primary screen on communicative behavior. The first section provides theoretical grounding by applying the symbolic interactionist orientation to theory, language, situations, nonverbal behavior, and listening. In the text, symbolic interactionist theory explains how selfhood arises in communication with others and how individuals' communicative interactions create and sustain their interpersonal relationships. The final section applies a symbolic interactionist perspective to communication in group, public, and interview settings.

The following is a work dealing with the international aspects of corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Specifically, the impact of an overemphasized shareholder value construct in the privatization process in Germany on the examples of Deutsche Telekom AG and Deutsche Post AG.

The contents of this book encourage business men and women to play by the rule.If you are fair to your employees, there are always great benefits; however, if you encourage unfairness,over a period of time you will see the whole establishment begin to crumble gradually; and you will be asking the same question like many have in the past--where did I go wrong?--Fairness is definitely the way to success!

THE DEVIL'S MARRIAGEBREAK UP THE CORPOCRACY OR LEAVE DEMOCRACY IN THE LURCHAmerica is becoming a "ruiNation." The reason, well-known psychologist Dr. Gary Brumback, tells us is the corpocracy, the "Devil's Marriage" between powerful corporations and patronizing politicians. He proposes "Democracy Power," a revolutionary but civil, peaceful force to break up the corpocracy."Gary Brumback's passion for social and economic justice shines through every page of his new book. He tells it as he sees it, mincing no words. He shows how essential it is for us to change the rules of the game so that we may break the ties that bind corporations and government -- and move to a more equitable and sustainable future."---Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and The Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations."A refreshing, exuberant read, full of sock-it-to-them creative insights about how corpocracy in the US has subverted democracy and what to do about it. This book is a political version of "On the Road"-- a passionate out flowing of analysis, critique and transformative strategies, including a vision of a national coalition of NGOs and movements uniting to challenge the corpocracy, spearheaded by a US Chamber of Democracy. Not for the faint of heart but red meat for progressives and activists everywhere."---Charles Derber, author of Corporation Nation, Regime Change Begins at Home, and, most recently, Greed to Green."This is an extraordinary and timely book that deserves to be widely read. Gary Brumback tells it like it is: America is no longer a democracy, governed by and for the people; we are a 'corpocracy' governed by and for large corporations with the massive help of an obliging government. Their grip on our nation is tight, but not unbreakable. Brumback shows how we can loosen it and reclaim our democratic heritage."---Peter Barnes, author of Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons, and co-founder of Working Assets.

The New York Times and No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestseller Blue Ocean Shift is the essential follow-up to the classic Blue Ocean Strategy, the 3.6 million copy global bestseller by world-renowned professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. Drawing on more than a decade of new work, Kim and Mauborgne show you how to move beyond competing, how to inspire people’s confidence and seize new growth, guiding you step by step through how to take your organization from a red ocean, crowded with competition, to a blue ocean of uncontested market space. By combining the insights of human psychology with practical market-creating tools and real-world guidance, Kim and Mauborgne deliver the definitive guide to shift yourself, your team, or your organization to new heights of confidence, market creation and growth. They show why non-disruptive creation is as important as disruption in seizing new growth. Blue Ocean Shift is packed with all-new research and examples of how leaders in diverse industries and organizations made the shift and created new markets by applying the processes and tools outlined in the book. Whether you are a cash-strapped start-up or a large, established company, a non-profit or national government, you will learn how to move from red to blue oceans in a way that builds people’s confidence so that they own and drive the process. With battle-tested lessons learned from successes and failures in the field, Blue Ocean Shift is critical reading for leaders, managers and entrepreneurs alike. You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the pitfalls along the way. This book will empower you to succeed as you embark on your own blue ocean journey. Blue Ocean Shift is indispensable for anyone committed to building a compelling future.

In all facets of life, most people strive for success. This could mean getting a promotion to vice-president, making the high school basketball team, having your children grow up to be good citizens, or getting the family together for holidays. Many of the elements of success are likely to include recovering from failure, short and long-term goals, perseverance, focused concentration, coping with adversity and keeping confident despite obstacles. To be successful requires many of these attributes and some people might consider them to be ingredients of mental toughness. But what is mental toughness? Let's look at the following examples and you can decide whether the person is mentally tough or not. A basketball player is injured and despite the fact that he may re-injure himself and hurt his long-term career, he decides to play in the championship game to help his teammates. A businesswoman is feeling really sick but she has a big presentation scheduled for today. Even though she might not be at her very best she "sucks it up" takes some medicine and goes into work to deliver her presentation. Are these examples of mental toughness or not? Would your conclusion be any different based on the outcome of the situation? For example would you say the businesswoman was mentally tough if she gave a great presentation but should have stayed home if, due to her illness, gave a poor presentation? These are difficult decisions, and people will typically come to different conclusions concerning what is mental toughness.In this book, I will provide evidence regarding the meaning of mental toughness. Its component will be broken down and tips for how to build mental toughness will be provided. So get started on the journey of understanding mental toughness and taking concrete steps to become more mentally tough.

This is a book of negotiation stories that apply techniques Dr. Klatt has learned since 1972, the year he began his career as a professional real estate licensee negotiator. They are techniques that were learned in the School of Hard Knocks, the best learning place of all. This book is not intended to be a complete presentation of all areas of negotiation, negotiation practice, or negotiation theory. It is intentionally short on theory and long on stories. It is so much easier (and more fun) to remember stories than theory, and if you remember the story you will be able to work back to the theory. It is a book written for real estate agents, law students, attorneys, mediators, and anyone else for whom negotiations are central to their career. In a sense, this means that this book has been written for us all. For we are all professional negotiators. Dr. Klatt was a strapping San Diego City lifeguard, excellent athlete, competitive surfer, ambidextrous tennis player, and drag racing champion before an accident robbed him of his sight. That was an event that could have broken the spirit of lesser men. Instead, Dr. Klatt turned his physical short-coming into a vector for professional excellence. He went on to sell a portfolio of property that has a present collective value that is easily worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and he did it all without ever laying sight upon one single inch of the property that he sold. This book is his method.

"The Four Filters Invention of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger" examines each of the steps that Buffett and Munger perform in "framing and making" an investment decision. This book is a focused look into this amazing innovation within "Behavioral Finance." The genius of Buffett and Munger's parsimonious four filters process was to "capture all the important stakeholders" in a "multi-variable" decision forming process.

This work deals with the political transition in Spain from authoritarianism to democracy and its impact on business. It addresses the fundamental questions of how business was affected by the transition and how business, in turn, influenced the course of democratization, through collective action, and how it influenced the marketplace through the aggregate of individual business decisions. The work has a strong empirical base. Data was collected from the chief executive officers of 260 Spanish companies and the managing directors of over one hundred affiliates of the top-ranked business association, the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (the "CEOE"). The work is particularly timely in light of the transitions occurring in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Unlike many earlier political transitions to more open systems, in Latin America and Southern Europe, the dynamics of economic change concurrent with political change is getting much greater attention in the East European transitions. The East European systems are attempting simultaneous political transitions with movement from command to market economies. Some East Europeans have studied the Spanish experience to garner lessons for their own efforts.

This is a book of memoirs spanning a period of more than 80 years. Born in 1933, the only child of loving working-class parents, the early recollections of Barrie Cottingham are of life in World War Two, and particularly of the Sheffield Blitz, when serious bomb damage to the homes of relatives resulted in a total of 11 family members living together for several weeks in the small terraced property (with no bathroom and only an outside toilet), which his parents rented. These reminiscences are an appropriate introduction to the main stated objective of the memoirs, to provide the author's Australian born grandsons with some knowledge of their British heritage and ancestors. However, as the recollections unfold, they also give a record of the period from the end of the Second World War when changes in British society (possibly the most rapid ever) provided opportunities for working-class people to move up the social scale. The author completed his state school education at the age of 15, obtaining the best examination results of his year. These, together with a testimonial from his headmaster, resulted in the grant of articles with a small Sheffield firm to study accountancy, without payment of the premium which was normally required at that time. Qualifying at the age of 21 years, he was called up for national service in the Royal Air Force where, after appropriate training, he obtained a commission, the first person from his family to have risen from the ranks. On completion of RAF service, and with a wish to see something of the world, he joined the international accountancy firm of Cooper Brothers & Co (subsequently to become Coopers & Lybrand - "the firm") to spend three years in Kenya. This proved to be one of the most interesting periods of his life. Returning to the firm in the UK at the age of 27, he was admitted to partnership three years later, and subsequently became the youngest member of the Executive Committee (effectively the Managing Board) at the age of 40 - remaining in this management group (with its various changes of name over the years) until the retirement age of 60 years. Following Coopers & Lybrand, he enjoyed a second career, extending over the next 20 years, as a non-executive director on several company boards, including the chairmanship of two public listed groups. The greater flexibility of time when carrying out these duties enabled him to also undertake a number of unremunerated and charitable activities. In relation to one of these, he was awarded an MBE in 2017. However, these memoirs are not confined to a review of the author's professional, business and charitable activities. Aspects of his private life are interwoven throughout, including the tragic death of his daughter Michelle (suffering from birth with Prader-Willi syndrome) at the age of 35, despite the devoted care of his first wife, Kathleen, his close relationship with his son Nigel, and meeting and marrying his current wife, Nicola. His pride in Sheffield and lifelong interest in sport also receive mention. A "Blade" for 80 years since first being taken to Bramall Lane by his father as a small boy, he still holds season tickets - although these are of little current value in the days of Covid-19.

"The best book ever written about small business" is the superlative written by Esquire in a feature article profiling this best selling how-to book, written by the CEO of ten successful businesses. The usefulness of this entrepreneurial business manual has propelled Success in Small Business Is a Laughing Matter through four printings over two decades, making it a must-own classic.

A turnaround expert offers a practical management guide to surviving a recession or any other tough business environment, from an industry downturn to getting blindsided by competitors. Theo van Dijk has spent a lifetime getting companies out of difficulties. In Managing When Times Are Tough he shares his expertise, offering practical advice on honing management skills and employing simple techniques that are highly effective in helping companies weather nearly any storm. Urging managers to rediscover that business is a team sport, and he argues that the key to success in tough times is to ignore the "big gloom and doom picture" and concentrate on the issues a manager can and must control. In a text interspersed with anecdotes from his own experiences, van Dijk teaches managers and business owners how to concentrate on real cash flow, emphasize product differentiation, implement marketing tools without adding expense, and practice the technique of "inverse marketing." Stressing that management requires personal commitment and great attention to detail, he demonstrates a "lean and mean" approach, enforcing practical skills that will work now—and prepare the team for the opportunities to come.

This hardcover version of "Expected End" presents a simple yet powerful model on how to better understand and improve culture on any level. Key elements of the model include mindsets, theories, application, balance and timeless principles. Author Mike Friesen uses a number of personal anecdotes to illustrate his points including many stories from his days as a U.S. F-15 and F-4 pilot. You will enjoy the common sense language and summarizing diagrams.

A collection of carefully edited papers selected for their range and diversity of topics, "New Dimensions in Marketing/Quality-of-Life Research" picks up where Samli's first Quorum book (1987) left off. Now Sirgy and Samli along with their contributors explore the latest measures and methods in QOL marketing research, the ways in which QOL concept is embodied in various functional areas of the marketing enterprise, and how it's appearing in different market segments and industries. The result is a cogent overview of how this emerging marketing concept is guiding the way goods and services are sold, and its impact on policy-makers. A wide-ranging discussion and information resource for teachers, students, and marketing practitioners.

The training and development function has made important contributions to the success of American corporations, but is it time now for an overhaul? Sims thinks it is. Not only does his book delineate the ways in which T&D has lost touch with the times, but it also identifies the ways in which it can--and must--be restructured and, indeed, reinvented. It must be more responsive to customer demands and interests, it must participate in and contribute directly to competitive corporate strategies. And it must find ways to measure concretely its performance and its contribution to the corporate bottom line. Sims' book is thus the first to take a corporate strategy approach to understanding and developing the T&D function. In doing so, it dissects T&D, chapter-by-chapter, and in each chapter provides practical guidance on how trainers can improve their performance and thus contribute clearly to the success of their organizations. Not only training and development people, but management in other areas will find this book thoughtful, provocative, and challenging.

To accomplish this task of becoming a more active strategic partner, this book calls for the reinvention of training. Reinvention means that training professionals and their training functions must take a strategic, customer, performance improvement and accountability orientation to add more value to their organizations. After discussing the importance of reinventing training, the book turns to a discussion of the importance of ensuring that, given the organization's strategic agenda, a needs analysis of training goals and employee development needs are derived from a comprehensive analysis of the organization's T&D needs. The book stresses the importance of aligning the organization's strategic agenda and the T&D programs developed by the training function to support the organization's objectives. The book next turns to a discussion on the developing and designing of training programs that will result in employee and organization learning necessary for achieving key business results. Sims offers a detailed discussion of training's need to improve its measurement of the contribution of training. The book concludes with a discussion of issues driving the need for training to continuously learn and work to improve its partnering with customers, delivery of just-in-time customized training, and take on a more proactive role in consulting with the organization on both training and nontraining interventions intended to help the organization meet its intended objective and sustain their competitive advantage.

The vital importance of the improved utilization and development of employee competence as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve the competitiveness of American business and industry is undisputed. In this book, European and American scholar/practitioners present a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective on how to reorganize and re-design work activities aimed at developing workforce quality. Based on the premise that work itself is an important source of learning and competence development, the authors combine a sound conceptual framework with a practice-oriented guide to participatory processes that enhance both individual skill and competence and collective learning and organizational change. Placing the challenge of work and organization re-design within the macro context of the economic and industrial relations environment, the forces that foster or inhibit successful employee participation are brought into focus.

Following the introduction of a conceptual model of competence development through work activity, a succinct historical overview of the evolution of different work design concepts in this century is presented. The relationship between work design for competence development and the challenges faced by today's enterprise become evident in the discussion of examples of currently emerging work design alternatives. Three case studies from the manufacturing and service sector illustrate the practical application of a framework for how to think about and approach work and organizational change. A variety of analytical tools and exercises are offered, among them a step-by-step procedure for initiating a participatory change process that avoids the pitfalls of many short-lived employee involvement programs. Issues of how to gain supervisor support and the role of unions in employee competence and skill development and implications for traditional compensation practices are addressed. Both a conceptual and a practical tool, this book is an important resource for executives, consultants, union leaders and human resource development scholars in search of ways to create competent organizations while protecting and enhancing employees' standard of living and quality of work life.

This book will help you get in-touch with your motivational abilities and past motivational experiences and thoughts.

"A gripping story that offers inspiration, hope, sustenance and personal redemption to the poor souls who see that they are caught up in an organization where the sands have shifted, and where the old evolutionary process and the old reward systems no longer support winning behaviors." Kim Morrison CEO, GrokChina, LLC NYC, New York "A really interesting page turner that underscores the importance of "voice of the customer" and offers some great tips on creative ways to get VOC into a company. As I read I wanted to see what happened next and loved the way that Steve and Geoff kept it real - the frank discussions about what worked and what didn't are practical lessons that all executives can learn from." Mark Ryski President & CEO, HeadCount Corporation Edmonton, Alberta, Canada "People issues are the biggest challenge facing public and private organizations today. This book gives you practical insight into changing people's behavior to achieve your business objectives." Daniel Deslatte Chief of Staff, Representative Bryan Hughes Texas House of Representatives Austin, Texas

Seize the benefits of the five-generation workforce. Generational distrust and ageism are seeping into organizations worldwide. Differences over communication style, technology preferences, identity, and politics are fueling harmful stereotypes and hurting team performance. It doesn't need to be this way. Smart leaders are harnessing age diversity and encouraging mutual learning, cross-generational collaboration, and a culture that embraces both similarities and differences across age groups. Multigenerational Workplace: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will help you bridge divides, reduce prejudice, and unlock the benefits of age-diverse teams. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues—blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more—each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas—and prepare you and your company for the future.

Career Year is a story about an intellectual who mentors a professional baseball player. The book is an entertaining blend of self-improvement, philosophy, business, and baseball. This is a self-help book not afraid to poke fun at its own advice. Coaches, teachers, athletes, mentors, business executives, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, musicians, and baseball fans will benefit from this short and easy-to-read book. The story includes a collection of practical ideas to help you personally and professionally. The characters are fictional, but the challenges facing them are real. The fable has plenty of "what if" scenarios and thought-provoking material you can discuss with friends, co-workers, and colleagues. Baseball fans will love Career Year.

It takes strength to compete. Becoming a well-known and well-regarded brand enhances a company's strength. Internal branding-especially in service industries-is essential for longevity, great competitive strength, and high financial value. Driven by a shared, authentic corporate culture and guided by top management, employees will build brand value in all their actions and interactions every day. Create a Brand That Inspires: How to Sell, Organize, and Sustain Internal Branding effectively addresses three core brand management challenges in readers' organizations: selling the brand to senior management, organizing the brand on all management levels, and living the brand within each of the company's internal communities. The book includes sixteen international case studies complete with pictures, interviews and examples from a wide range of industries. The long-term, hands-on experience of the co-authors and their unique perspectives on how to successfully develop and manage internal branding make this study a rewarding read for executives, managers and team leaders.