Much needed in these times when confidence in corporations has eroded, A Business Tale offers you the inspiration to make ethical choices even when it isn't easy or immediately rewarding. Wouldn't it be nice if all executives had a magical rabbit?like the one in the movie Harvey -- following them around reminding them to be ethical? In this charming fable, Aristotle (Ari, for short) is a pooka -- a mythical, invisible creature with a penchant for advising against dishonesty. Our hero, Edgar P. Benchley, has been able to see and hear Ari since childhood, and as he journeys through his professional life, constantly faced with challenging questions of good conduct, Ari helps remind him that nice guys can succeed...even in the world of business. Following the story, inside this book you'll find: real-life examples of ethical situations a 10-step action plan for ethical behavior in the workplace story formatting to impart basics of ethics in the business world A Business Tale is an easy-to-read, unforgettable "spoonful of sugar" to help companies and individuals digest the sometimes tart lessons of practical morality in the workplace.

An unlikely bookseller in New York City became the leading dealer in rare Western Americana for most of the twentieth century. After working in western-U.S. and South American gold mines at the turn of the twentieth century, Edward Eberstadt (1883-1958) returned to his home in New York City in 1907. Through luck and happenstance, he purchased an old book for fifty cents that turned out to be a rare sixteenth-century Mexican imprint. From this bit of serendipity, Eberstadt quickly became one of the leading western Americana rare book dealers. In this book Michael Vinson tells the story of how Edward Eberstadt & Sons developed its legendary book collection, which formed the backbone of many of today's top western Americana archives. Although the firm's business records have not survived, Edward and his sons, Charles and Lindley, were all prodigious letter writers, and nearly every collector kept his or her correspondence. Drawing upon these letters and on his own extensive experience in the rare book trade, Vinson gives the reader a vivid sense of how the commerce in rare books and manuscripts unfolded during the era of the Eberstadts, particularly in the relationships between dealers and customers. He explores the backstory that scholars of art history and museology have pursued in recent decades: the assembling of cultural treasures, their organization for use, and the establishment of institutions to support that use. His work describes the important role this key bookselling firm played in the western Americana trade from the early 1900s to Eberstadt & Sons' dissolution in 1975. From Yale University and the American Antiquarian Society to the Newberry Library and the Huntington Library, the firm of Edward Eberstadt & Sons has left its mark in western Americana repositories across the nation. Told here for the first time, the Eberstadt story reveals how one family's business and legacy have shaped the study of the American West.

In this insider guide, former Harley-Davidson executive Dantar Oosterwal offers an exclusive look at how Harley-Davidson was able to adapt in an ever-changing world to stay on top and stay in existence. From near-extinction in the early eighties, Harley-Davidson rose to worldwide recognition and is still today one of the great, iconic American motorcycle brands. In this insider guide, former Harley-Davidson executive Dantar Oosterwal offers an exclusive look at how Harley-Davidson was able to adapt in an ever-changing world to stay on top and stay in existence In The Lean Machine, you will learn about their secret weapon and go-to formula for outstanding success as well as: the day-to-day transformation at Harley-Davidson their adapted Knowledge-Based Product Development identifies universal change and improvement issues so that any company can incorporate this Rooted in Japanese productivity improvement techniques, the Knowledge-Based Product Development method helped Harley realize an unprecedented fourfold increase in throughput in half the time--powering annual growth of more than ten percent. The Lean Machine is part business journal, part analysis, and part step-by-step toolkit that will help companies in all industries achieve predictably excellent results.

In an age where even the best products are quickly imitated, businesses must constantly find new ways to outpace competitors. Successful companies differentiate themselves not just with superior products, but also by how they behave toward their customers at every touchpoint: service, product development, marketing, branding, bids and proposals, presentations, negotiations, and more. Behavioral Differentiation is emerging as the ""final frontier"" in competitive strategy, and "Winning Behavior" shows how leading companies use it to exceed expectations and outperform competitors. This eye-opening book offers case histories and examples from companies like GE, Volvo, EMC, Ritz-Carlton, Wal-Mart, and Harley-Davidson, plus interviews with executives like George Zimmer (Men's Wearhouse), Colleen Barrett (Southwest Airlines), and Gerry Roche (Heidrick & Struggles). In today's ultracompetitive business landscape, product quality and competitive pricing are prerequisites for staying afloat. Winning Behavior reveals the secrets the best companies use -- and any business can use -- to stay at the pinnacle of success in their industry.

Introduced at the 1876 Centennial Exposition and powered by an historic advertising campaign, Hires Root Beer-launched 10 years before Coca-Cola-blazed the trail for development of the American soft drink industry. Its inventor, Charles Elmer Hires, has been described as "a tycoon with the soul of a chemist." In addition to creating root beer, Hires, a devoted family man and a pillar of the Quaker community, became a leading importer of botanical commodities, an authority on the vanilla bean. Starting from scratch, he also built one of the world's largest condensed milk companies. Charles E. Hires and the Drink that Wowed a Nation chronicles the humble origin and meteoric business success of this extraordinary entrepreneur. Author Bill Double uses published interviews, correspondence, newspaper reports, magazine articles, financial data, and a small family archive to tell this story of native ingenuity. Here, the rough-hewn capitalism of the gilded age, the evolution of the neighborhood drugstore, the rise of advertising in creating mass markets, and the emerging temperance movement all come together in a biography that, well, fizzes with entrepreneurial spirit.

"Remember the Cola Wars, with Coke and Pepsi battling it out year after year for supremacy in the soft drink market? Or what about the Burger Wars, the legendary slugfests between McDonald's and Burger King? Then of course, there were the Sports Drink Wars. If you blinked, you might have missed them, because Gatorade has swiftly and decisively fended off every would-be rival. Although a few other brands hold slim market shares, the fact is that Gatorade single-handedly created the sports drink industry 40 years ago and has absolutely ruled it ever since. But Gatorade is more than just a triumph of branding. First, it's a trusted product that has been scientifically proven to do what it claims to do. Second, Gatorade is an enthralling story, brought to life in bright color and sharp detail in First in Thirst. Author Darren Rovell, a skilled, objective, and passionate journalist, chronicles every astonishing milestone of the company's history. With unprecedented access to the inventors, the marketers, the analysts and observers, and key company figures past and present, Rovell recounts the sweat-drenched University of Florida football practices, the first (unpalatable) prototypes, and the commercial and financial interest that quickly took hold following the drink's first on-field successes. Then came the advertising, sponsorships, product placements (many of them fortuitous), and finally the two milestones that cemented Gatorade's iconic status once and for all -- the ubiquitous Gatorade bath and the Michael Jordan ""Be Like Mike"" endorsement deal. With refreshing candor, First in Thirst also offers an inside look at the negotiations, battles, lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions, product strategies, lucky breaks, and even the missteps (there have not been many) that have attended Gatorade's reign as the 800-pound gorilla of the sports-drink scene. Rovell places the reader inside labs and brainstorming sessions, at board meetings and ad shoots, on the sidelines and in the dugouts, even in the winner's circle at NASCAR events -- where Gatorade manages maximum exposure even at tracks whose official sponsors include chief rival POWERade. The book identifies the nine Gatorade Rules, business principles that have helped Gatorade become one of the most dominant brands ever. By adhering to these principles, businesses in other industries may achieve greater brand recognition and market share. Long before America knew what ""deep-down body thirst"" was, a team of university scientists had already invented something to quench it. First in Thirst is the story of the product and the company, and of America's fascination with the one and only Gatorade."

"When Wilbur and Orville Wright executed the first successful manned flight on December 17th, 1903, they stunned the world. Man could fly Where had these two brothers come from? The impact was astonishing. (Imagine if Neil Armstrong had landed on the moon in a craft he built himself and paid for with a part-time job )

In ushering in the age of flight, the Wright brothers got past numerous obstacles the world's other scientists hadn't even begun to tackle. " The Wright Way" defines seven essential problem-solving principles the brothers used in accomplishing this enormous feat, and shows readers how to apply them to common business problems. The book presents practical, inspirational principles for achievement, including:

* Hammering out problems through constructive conflict

* Addressing the toughest issues -- or ""worst things"" -- first

* Achieving perfection through ""inveterate tinkering""

* Pursuing useful knowledge through ""forever learning""

The book gives business leaders and managers constructive tips they can use to tackle their most difficult -- and rewarding -- challenges and opportunities. A perfect combination of savvy management guidance and historical adventure story, "The Wright Way" shows readers how to make their business soar when others can't even get off the ground."

Sales theories come and sales theories go, but nothing beats learning from the original masters. "The Giants of Sales "introduces readers to the techniques developed by four legendary sales giants, and offers concrete examples of how they still work in the 21st century. The book reveals how:

* In his quest to sell a brand new product known as the cash register, John Henry Patterson came up with a repeatable sales process tailor-made for his own sales force

* Dale Carnegie taught people how to win friends and influence customers with powerful methods that still work

* Joe Girard, listed by Guinness as the world's greatest salesman, didn't just sell cars, he sold relationships...and developed a successful referral business

* Elmer Wheeler discovered fundamental truths about persuasion by testing thousands of sales pitches on millions of people, and achieved great success in the middle of the Great Depression

Part history and part how-to, "The Giants of Sales" gives readers practical, real-world techniques based on the time-tested wisdom of true sales masters.

"Featuring a foreword by George Gilder

If you're a Qualcomm customer or stockholder, or in fact if you have a stake in almost any cellular service or even just use a mobile phone, you're no doubt aware of the enormous impact on the development of cellular technology by actress and sex symbol Hedy LaMarr.

All right, perhaps you're surprised. The telecom industry has never been short on surprises, and the above example is no exception. Nor is it an exaggeration. Read the book.

Similarly, it is not an exaggeration to say that Qualcomm, through a combination of technological superiority, cunning business acumen, and sheer tenacity, has become the undisputed standard by which telecom companies now measure themselves. In short order, they have also become a model of substantial and sustained growth that businesses in all industries should emulate.

Qualcomm's rise mirrors that of the cell phone itself. Both are ubiquitous, both continue to evolve rapidly, and both turned the status quo on its head. The Qualcomm Equation reveals crucial but little-known information on the history of cellular and wireless technology -- some of which dates back to World War II -- and shows how the company grabbed the wave just as it began to rise.

How did they do it?

Even while most competitors were using an essential technology, Qualcomm believed in an alternative they had developed, and continued to refine and promote it until at last it caught on. The Qualcomm Equation details how the fledgling company, while their rivals simply duked it out for more customers, made a killing not only by offering great service, but also by leasing their superior standard technology to other telecom companies. While Qualcomm grew its own customer base, they had also, in essence, found a way to make more money the bigger their competitors got.

How can you apply the Qualcomm model in your industry, and in your company?

Following Qualcomm's example, your company can:

* attract investors by presenting even complex products and technologies in customer- and market-focused language

* prove that its product is essential not only to customers but also to competitors -- so that they come to depend on you rather than trying to defeat you

* make its product and its operations compatible with those competitors, turning rivalries into profitable strategic alliances

* learn from setbacks, and leverage the knowledge and strengths of your partners to overcome obstacles

You'll also learn crucial strategies to help you define and develop your core business; identify and maximize your company's role and position in the value chain for customers and shareholders; strike a balance between sharing and protecting proprietary information; and handle regulatory and political concerns both domestically and globally.

In the last decade, Qualcomm has come to define dominance not only in the telecommunications industry, but throughout the global business landscape. The Qualcomm Equation presents their story, and the keys to their unparalleled success.

Not to mention the most important role of Hedy LaMarr's career..."