Books

Brief Summary One of the U.S. government's leading China experts reveals the hidden strategy fueling that country's rise – and how Americans have been seduced into helping China overtake us as the world's leading superpower. For more than forty years, the United States has played an indispensable role helping the Chinese government build a booming economy, develop its scientific and military capabilities, and take its place on the world stage, in the belief that China's rise will bring us cooperation, diplomacy, and free trade. But what if the "China Dream" is to replace us, just as America replaced the British Empire, without firing a shot? Based on interviews with Chinese defectors and newly declassified, previously undisclosed national security documents, The Hundred-Year Marathon reveals China's secret strategy to supplant the United States as the world's dominant power, and to do so by 2049, the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. Michael Pillsbury, a fluent Mandarin speaker who has served in senior national security positions in the U.S. government since the days of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, draws on his decades of contact with the "hawks" in China's military and intelligence agencies and translates their documents, speeches, and books to show how the teachings of traditional Chinese statecraft underpin their actions. He offers an inside look at how the Chinese really view America and its leaders – as barbarians who will be the architects of their own demise. Pillsbury also explains how the U.S. government has helped – sometimes unwittingly and sometimes deliberately – to make this "China Dream" come true, and he calls for the United States to implement a new, more competitive strategy toward China as it really is, and not as we might wish it to be. The Hundred-Year Marathon is a wake-up call as we face the greatest national security challenge of the twenty-first century. ISBN:9781627790109 Author:Michael Pillsbury

Brief Summary Is it possible for a company to grow its revenues and profits by 10 percent or more for at least ten consecutive years, not counting acquisitions? That’s an incredibly high bar for growth and profitability, one that 99.99 percent of American companies can’t meet—including the famous ones that routinely land on magazine covers. Management expert Jason Jennings screened 100,000 companies to identify nine little- known firms that have delivered stellar performance for a full decade or more, despite the ups and downs of the economy. And, as he reveals in his new book, these superstars have a lot in common despite their wide range of industries, which includes software, food services, medical supplies, and sporting goods.It turns out that the best long-term performers all combine the strengths of a big organization with the hunger of a start-up. They build excellent relationships with their customers, suppliers, workers, and shareholders. They groom future leaders at all levels. They balance their short-term goals with their long-term visions. And they teach their managers to get their hands dirty.Jennings did extensive interviews at his nine featured companies to find out exactly how they consistently increase revenue and profits without using manipulation or gimmickry. He reveals their unique approach to leadership and shows how any company, no matter what size or industry, can benefit from following their examples.Think Big, Act Small may be the most powerful management book since Good to Great and Execution. " ISBN:2147483647 Author:Jason Jennings

THE UNIQUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FROM A LEGENDARY CEOIn 1967, Charles Koch took the reins of his father’s company and began the process of growing it from a $21 million start-up into a global corporation with revenues of about $115 billion, according to Forbes. So how did this MIT engineer manage grow Koch Industries into one of the largest private companies in the world today with growth exceeding that of the S&P 500 by almost 30-fold over the last five decades? Through his unique five-dimensional management process and system called Market-Based Management. Based on five decades of cross-disciplinary studies, experimental discovery, and practical implementation across Koch companies and their 100,000 employees worldwide, the core objective of Market-Based Management’s framework is as simple as it is effective: to generate good profit. What is good profit? Good profit results when a company creates value for customers in a way that helps them improve their lives. Good profit is the result of innovations that customers freely vote for with their own dollars; it’s the result of business decisions that create long term value for everyone--customers, employees, shareholders, and society.While you won't find the Koch Industries name on your home’s stain-resistant carpet, your baby’s more comfortable but absorbent diapers your stretch denim jeans, or your television with a better clarity screen, MBM™ drove these innovations and many more. Here, drawing on revealing, honest stories from his five decades in business – the company’s many successes as well as its stumbles – Koch walks the reader step-by-step through the five dimensions of Market-Based Management to show stockholders, entrepreneurs, leaders, students -- and innovators, supervisors and employees of all kinds, in any field --how to apply the principles t ISBN:2147483647 Author:Charles G. Koch

The ideal companion for all creative minds - The Art of Getting Started is the long missing piece of the creative puzzle. As a self-professed procrastinator, illustrator Lee Crutchley knows the 'first blank page' all too well and has used his expertise to devise a unique variety of impulsive habits to kick start the brain. Through a series of hand-written tasks and challenges Lee leads the reader through a range of lively prompts to shift the perspective and get those creative juices flowing again in new and surprising ways. Quick fire questions encourage impulsive decisions, tapping instantly into creative instincts, learning the best way to engage the mind into getting that all important start. Be prepared to write, draw, cook and explore as this stimulating, witty and hands-on guide takes readers to inspirational heights and as a capable right-hand-man, it will be tough to be without it. Taking 'back to basics' to a new level, Crutchley wants readers to immerse themselves, creativity in its purest form. In answer to the procrastination nation is a new technique, and creative method: The Art of Getting Started. ISBN:2147483647 Author:Lee Crutchley