44 results for "Business History"

Tiny Rowland: a rebel tycoon

Bower, Tom
This is an account of the life and career of the entrepreneur, Tiny Rowland, the head of Lonrho and the owner of "The Observer". It is a story of empire-building, unresolved mystery, commercial skulduggery, financial acumen, and confrontations with a succession of governments in Europe, America and Africa. The book reflects not only the fortunes of an individualist, but the ambitions, machinations and limitations of an array of power-brokers in the City, Whitehall, Wall Street and elsewhere in the world.
Heinemann 1993 659 pages

Battling editor: the Albany years

Rosenfeld, Harry
Recounts the transformation of two daily newspapers in the face of economic downturns and sweeping technological change. In 1978, Harry Rosenfeld left the Washington Post , where he oversaw the paper’s standard-setting coverage of Watergate, to take charge of two daily papers under co-ownership in Albany, New York: the morning Times Union and the evening Knickerbocker News . It was a particularly challenging moment in newspaper history. While new technologies were reducing labor costs on the production side and providing ever more sophisticated tools for journalists to practice their craft, those very same technologies would soon turn a comparatively short-lived boom into a grave threat, as ever more digitally distracted readers turned to sources other than print and other legacy media for their news. Between these boundaries, Rosenfeld set about to do his work. Picking up where his previous memoir, From Kristallnacht to Watergate , left off, Battling Editor tells the story of how Rosenfeld and his colleagues transformed two daily publications into alert and aggressive newspapers even in times of economic downturn. Bringing the investigative habits he had honed in his years at the New York Herald Tribune and the Washington Post , Rosenfeld’s objective was to tell the fully rounded stories of the region’s cities, suburbs, and rural towns, with awareness of both their achievements and their shortcomings. Furthermore, the misuse of power, whenever it happened, whether in city hall or the state capitol, in courtrooms or prisons, or in hospitals, corporations, community organizations, was to be exposed, and those accountable were to be held responsible. More importantly, however, Rosenfeld’s account is enlisted in the growing call to arms for all who cover the news and all who consume it. Written at a time when the credibility of news organizations is under attack by those at the highest levels of government, Battling Editor is a full-throated defense of fact-based journalism and hard-hitting reporting at the local as well as national level. “Harry’s book is often about tough decisions, and it stands out as a handbook on how to live an ethical life in the news business right now. Is it possible to tell the truth all the time? Sometimes. But this is an instructive narrative—especially today when the truth is such a rare commodity in the White House and Congress, and the financially beleaguered press is itself under threat as an enemy of the people. Harry and his family lived in Nazi Germany, and escaped it in 1939. A large part of his subsequent life has been an ongoing war against fascism, racism, and political criminals. This book explains how he waged that war on a daily basis in the newsrooms he managed so well, and for so long.” — from the Foreword by William Kennedy “Harry Rosenfeld made a choice. He left an exciting job at the Washington Post for the chance to do what so many editors dream of—become the guy in charge of two vibrant regional newspapers. What fun he had as a boss—being responsible for stories about local heroes, crooked politicians, and the day-to-day doings of a capital city. There also is a tinge of nostalgia in Harry’s memoir, for the kind of local reporting Harry lived for has all but disappeared in today’s newspaper world. Local coverage has been stripped away in newspaper after newspaper as all are facing dwindling readership and disappearing income.” — Seymour M. Hersh
Excelsior Editions, an imprint of State University of New York Press 2019 262 pages

Character is destiny: reflections on innovation & integrity from Volvo's longest serving CEO

Gyllenhammar, Pehr G.
Character is Destiny provides a rare and unique glimpse into Pehr Gyllenhammar's professional triumphs and failures; and his successful efforts to shape industry in Europe, most notably with his creation of the European Roundtable of Industrialists which revitalized Europe's infrastructure through projects like the France-England Channel Tunnel. Character is Destiny also provides a window into his friendships with some of the great luminaries of the world. It is equal parts history, politics, and Gyllenhammar's own personal philosophy--the foundational elements of his life have always been humanism, a fierce commitment to integrity and truth, and a deeply-rooted respect and admiration for the working class. The author of six previous books published in Sweden, for the first time Gyllenhammar has chosen to create an original English-language book in concert with an American editor/writer. The resulting work is directly relevant to the English-language reader and Character is Destiny offers his own wisdom as to what people must do if they hope to see a future in which global business and democracy will survive.
Morgan James Publishing 2020 197 pages

Everything is possible: life and business lessons from a self-made billionaire and the founder of Slim-Fast

Abraham, S. Daniel
In Everything Is Possible, Dan Abraham, the legendary founder of Slim-Fast, recounts the story of his personal and business life, starting from his childhood and army years and his purchase of Thompson Medical for $5,000 when he was in his early twenties, and culminating in the sale of Slim-Fast for $2.3 billion in 2000. At the heart of Everything Is Possible are 16 life lessons that Abraham has picked up in sixty years of a hard-working business career. Among them: There is no such thing as a mistake (see pages 198–202) Why I always insured that my suppliers made a profit (see pages 208–9) The philosophy of continuous improvement (see pages 202–5) If you have a theory and the facts dispute it, drop your theory (pages 205–8) The realization that we all have both good and bad luck in our lives, but many of us don't prepare for either (pages 216–9) I never saw a man pick a fight with a stronger man (pages 191–5) But this memoir, a brilliant guide for anyone starting and growing a business, is about far more than business. Abraham tells the heartwarming story of growing up in a modest home in Long Beach, New York, and the lessons he learned from his mother, father, and one high school teacher that have guided him ever since. And there is more, much more: a discussion of his beliefs about the pleasure of giving; what he has learned from Judaism about ethics and the Golden Rule; and what he learned from his experiences with the FDA about the importance of compromise and about the necessity to fight hard when you believe you're right. At a time, when newspapers are filled with reports of business fraud and deceptions, and when so many people believe that to have spectacular success in business you have to be ruthless and dishonest, this is an account of a business life that has been lived honorably, passionately, and successfully, and with fun. Everything Is Possible is a book to be savored and shared with young and old alike.
Newmarket Press 2010-02-16 240 pages