History of specific companies / corporate history Books

Book SynopsisThe Southern Railway may not have been the most glamorous of the 'Big Four' companies that emerged from the grouping of 1923, but it was the great innovator.

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Book SynopsisThe first history of a well-known and prolific Scottish boatbuilder

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Book SynopsisA vision of custom motorcycles

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Book SynopsisAt the forefront of innovation and development in the rail world, the Southern Railway was the only main-line railway to embrace electrification wholeheartedly, creating what was at the time the world’s largest electric suburban network.

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Book SynopsisThe London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) claimed to be the largest private enterprise concern in the British Empire. It was Britain's largest steam railway and the only one to operate in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as having two short stretches of line in the Irish Republic. It was the world's largest owner of railway hotels and the world's largest railway shipping operator. Mainly a steam railway, it had a significant electric service out of Euston in London, and on Merseyside and Manchester. One of the leaders in diesel shunting locomotives, the company was a pioneer of using mechanical handling equipment, including large coaling towers. The LMS was mainly a freight railway, but it was still able to boast the best railway carriages, even on suburban services, where there was more legroom than was offered by other companies. Full of little-known facts, illustrated throughout and including a useful timeline, The LMS Story is the latest ad

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Book SynopsisA successful health care entrepreneur and global philanthropist, recounts the lessons he learned along the way and shows that adversity can lead to success in life and business. He shows anyone bulldozed by life how to pull themselves out of the rubble, dust themselves off and find meaning and purpose.Trade ReviewWhat sets this book apart is a personal approach that blends business and life lessons into a memoir, firmly rooting hardships with the strengths Donato Tramuto gained from this process.... The result is a powerful guide that charts several "bulldozer moments" in Tramuto's life and offers insights into health care issues, personal involvement, and business decision-making. Business and life purposes readers will read it for its lively tone, but will ultimately walk away with a clear blueprint for turning adversity into strength. Many other books cover some of the concepts; but Life's Bulldozer Moments covers the actual process of achieving this goal. * Midwest Book Review *Donato Tramuto demonstrates the value around hard work and tenacity, applying his own challenges to a four-decade crusade to improve access to healthcare. In Life’s Bulldozer Moments, Donato demonstrates how his unrelenting passion for improving access to high-quality healthcare has made a positive difference in the lives of people from Africa to the United States. -- Dr. Regina Herzlinger, Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business SchoolLife’s Bulldozer Moments demonstrates the power of harnessing personal loss and adversity to drive professional success, and the power of leveraging professional success to effect social change. Donato Tramuto’s professional story illustrates the unpredictable trajectory of the healthcare industry over the past thirty years, while his personal experiences gave him an unwavering determination to succeed in business and to improve the lives of others. A great example of leadership, compassion and fortitude. -- Senator William H. Frist, M.D. of TennesseeWith this book, Donato Tramuto’s descriptive phrase, ‘life’s bulldozer moments’ has entered the American lexicon. Donato describes his most deeply personal and professional bulldozer moments as life-changing challenges that shaped his unrelenting drive to make this world a better place. Donato’s message is simple and profound: Material success in life and business is best used as a means to end suffering and create a more just and peaceful world. -- Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human RightsI have known Donato Tramuto for many years—as a successful healthcare executive, a thriving business owner and a former elected official in Ogunquit. I didn’t realize the amount of adversity he has faced and overcome in his life. For the first time I understand how Donato has used those Bulldozer Moments to bolster his determination to improve the human condition—in his home state of Maine and around the world. -- Former Maine Governor John E. BaldacciTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 Bulldozer Moments Chapter 2 Be Doggedly Goal Oriented and Strive for All Good Things Up to Perfection Chapter 3 Don’t Listen to the Naysayers Chapter 4 The Tummy Check Chapter 5 Be Ready to Learn Chapter 6 Collaboration and Integration Chapter 7 Get the Culture Right and Everything Else Will Follow Chapter 8 Get your Priorities Straight: Place Consumer Patients at the Heart of Health Care Chapter 9 Pulling it All Together Chapter 10 Aspire to Serve Others First Acknowledgements About the Author

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Book SynopsisAlice Temperley, one of the most accomplished British designers working today, creates clothing that is coveted by the likes of Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Olga Kurylenko, Rita Ora, Poppy Delevingne, Helen Mirren, Adele, Naomie Harris, and The Duchess of Cambridge. This book is conceived as a celebration of Alice Temperley's aesthetic and conveys the effortless decadence and handcrafted allure of her brand. This book highlights the key moments that have inspired the last decade of work—focusing on the personal moments that have shaped her brand. Filled with captivating photographs from Temperley London photo shoots and fashion editorials, ALICE TEMPERLEY: ENGLISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS  gives an in-depth look into the inspirations and processes behind the creation of the collections. While her first Rizzoli book, TRUE BRITISH (2011), was a chronological story about the first 10 years of the brand, ENGLISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS gives a more intimatTrade Review"For her, it all boils down to lifestyle. Her second Rizzoli tome, English Myths and Legends, released earlier this fall, not only showcases her sketches and elaborate fashion show sets, but her Somerset home, too—robin egg blue paint, disco balls, Union Jack flags, vintage fabrics and all."—Vogue.com"British designer Alice Temperley is further documenting her creative journey with a second book, “Alice Temperley: English Myths and Legends.” Written by Temperley and published by Rizzoli, the 336-page tome focuses on the designer’s inspirations and methods, and includes more than 250 photographs."—Women's Wear Daily"What to Read This Month"—Vanity Fair"For anyone who loves fashion and romance and escapism, this book will transport you to Alice Temperley's world and may make you buy a dress or two from her, if you haven't already."—Forbes.com"The new book Alice Temperley: English Myths and Legends, out October 3 from Rizzoli, celebrates the world of Temperley London, offering an extensive photographic look into the inspirations behind its designs. The tome is filled with photos from fashion shoots and editorials."—New York Magazine, The Cut"Visually, the book is quite beautiful and apparently is made up of mood boards, sketches, and stills from various collections of the last six years."—New York Journal of Books

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Book SynopsisDrawing on over 30 interviews with key personnel from Working Title, Polygram and Universal, the author examines not only how this remarkable company has evolved but also why it has evolved in the way that it has by situating its history within the ever-changing landscape of the British and Hollywood film industries.Trade Review"Essential reading for anyone engaged in the serious study of contemporary British cinema, Nathan Townsend's book provides a long overdue full critical analysis of Working Title's operations and outputs since its inception four decades ago. It traces the company's complex history and surveys the full range of its transnational endeavours, from Oscar-winning highs to critic infuriating lows, and is nourished throughout by Townsend's conceptual sophistication and granular attention to detail." -Melanie Williams, University of East Anglia

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Book SynopsisThe former CEO of Dollar General shares a firsthand account of how generations of his family built their small-town business into a national powerhouse and the lessons about leadership, teamwork, life, and faith he discovered in the process.

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Book Synopsis'An inspiring success story.' Baroness Rona Fairhead, CBEA RINGSIDE SEAT ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST DEALS AND BIGGEST PERSONALITIES IN BUSINESS AND GLOBAL POLITICS.They are just four letters on an electronic ticker tape, but FTSE has become a byword for money, power, influence and - crucially, after numerous financial crises - trust. How this organisation, FTSE International, brought order to the financial system over several decades, is a story of how capitalism globalized and a data revolution transformed the investment industry. It is a story of how a team of innovators seized an opportunity to build a business that today leads its field and guides the fortunes of an astonishing $16 trillion of funds. It is a story that Mark Makepeace, founding Chief Executive of FTSE International, knows better than anybody.FTSE is a ringside seat on some of the biggest deals and biggest personalities in business and global politics, chronicling how the FTSE 100 was born, behind-the-scenes rows with chief executives of some of the world's largest companies, political in-fighting, diplomatic incidents, and the ferocious dealmaking that followed over 35 years of market boom and bust. 'FTSE is a story which should inform and fascinate anyone interested in capital markets.' Sir Donald Brydon, CBETrade ReviewMark Makepeace takes us on a 35-year journey from a sedentary world of top hats, long lunches and fixed commissions to a dynamic global marketplace dominated by computers and algorithms, a marketplace of infinite choice. In the process he not only tells the story of a brilliant British company that kept pace with this dizzy change but he charts the development of financial markets transformed within a generation by the forces of technology and globalization. -- John Makinson, founder of Makinson & Cowell, former CFO of Pearson, and former CEO of PenguinFTSE and Mark have had a ring-side seat for every major change in the UK stock market - and have been active players in many of the deals and mergers that have re-shaped the sector internationally. It is a fascinating story of a crucial phase in the investment landscape. -- John Ridding, CEO of the Financial Times Group and former editor of the Financial Times, AsiaFTSE is a story which should inform and fascinate anyone interested in capital markets. -- Sir Donald Brydon CBE, chairman of the Sage Group and former chairman of the London Stock Exchange GroupAn inspiring success story; how a clear vision, relentless commitment and two great British brands combined to create a global leader. -- Rona Fairhead, Baroness Fairhead CBE, former chief executive of the Financial Times Group and former Minister of State at the Department for International TradeRichly detailed, and written with an attractively light touch, bringing out personalities as well as indices, this is an important contribution to our understanding of how the modern City has developed. -- David Kynaston, social historian and author of City of London: The History and Austerity Britain 1945–1951

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Book SynopsisRobert Greifeld was CEO of NASDAQ for over a decade, during which time it was named Company of the Year, ranked one of the best performing companies in the U.S., included in Fortune's annual list of 100 fastest growing companies and shares of the company's stock rose a whopping 800%.In Market Mover, Bob looks at the headline-making events that took place while he was at the helm from the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis of 2008, to Facebook's disastrous IPO and the Bernie Madoff scandal. He takes you exclusively behind the headlines using them as jumping off points for lessons that can be applied to any business, including jumpstarting change, working with technology, finding the best people, and adapting to globalization.

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Book SynopsisAdvertising has always been a uniquely influential social force. It affects what we buy, what we believe, who we elect, and so much more. We tend to know histories of other massive social forces, but even people working in advertising often have a tenuous grasp of their field's background. This book slices advertising's history into a smörgåsbord of specific topics like advertising to children, political advertising, people's names as advertisements, 3D advertising, programmatic buying, and so much more, offering a synopsis of how each developed and the role it played in this discipline. In doing so, many firsts are identified, such as the first full-page color magazine advertisement, and the first point-of-purchase advertisement. This book also reaches back farther in search of the earliest advertisements, and it tells the story of the variety of techniques used by our ancestors to promote their products and ideas.Part textbook, part reference, the book is an advertising museum in portable form suitable for all levels of students, scholars, and arm-chair enthusiasts.Trade ReviewRichards creates a “portable museum of advertising,” arranged chronologically and designed to encourage browsing. Readers can dip in and out, encouraged by hundreds of illustrations, primarily of advertisements past and present. Chapters 8 and 16 on social implications, ads, and culture relate interesting facts on how advertising both influences and reflects its time. Delivers a broad look from ancient times (there is evidence of Roman shops signs in BCE 776) to modern promotional products (Livestrong bracelets; MAGA caps). Well-documented and scholarly with crossover appeal for general audiences. * Library Journal *Marketers describe advertising as a paid form of nonpersonal communication meant to persuade. Researchers have found examples of advertising dating back to ancient times, including a hanging tag used to identify a bottle of oil in 3000 BCE. Richards puts together the whole story of this fascinating, critical component of marketing. Students and practitioners of advertising and history will find the evolution of advertising from basic names, signs, and labels to the sophisticated electronic media of today a remarkable journey…. Richards' book is packed with examples and a timeline that threads together each advertising development, resulting in a surprising, fascinating historical narrative. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals. * Choice Reviews *Most people practicing advertising today care little about what came before. They only care about today. Yet, to quote Soren Kierkegaard “Life can only be understood looking backwards: but it must be lived forward”. So do yourself a favor, take a long backward look with Jef and become better prepared for today, and tomorrow. -- Rick Boyko, retired, Co-President, CCO, Oglivy North America and Director/Professor VCU BrandcenterA fascinating read that educates, informs and enlightens. I know of no other publication that gives such a deep dive into the History of Advertising from ancient times through COVID times. One great takeaway was "The 10 commandments of Advertising" written in 1911 but still holds true today. Enjoy the read. -- Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of The One Club For CreativityA History of Advertising: The First 300,000 Years by Jef Richards is in a league of its own. This wildly original and fast-paced examination carries us through the world of advertising from its earliest beginnings to the modern-day. Unlike any other book, this one takes us from the very beginnings, through the highs and lows of advertising, posing provocative questions along the way and offering fascinating points of view on how branding, advertising and PR evolved in lock step with human existence. Jef is an enormously gifted author and his writing – fast paced, insightful and slam-bang full of remarkable details – is an indulgence and rewards readers (including this jaded ad agency CEO) with a new and completely unique portal into our shared past and gives us an intuitively connected view to how advertising transformed and shaped the world into what we see today. For marketers to history buffs, Richards has created a story that will keep you turning the pages and might even help connect a few dots of intriguing facts that you never knew existed in the first place. -- John Minnec, former CEO FCB London and Havas ChicagoIn addition to the extensive timelines, great selection of illustrations, and snappy prose, Richards has compiled impressive lists of advertising institutions, trade characters, jingles, and slogans over time. Arranged in chronological order from date of the earliest creation, these collections should be of great interest to most readers who have lived through some of this history. * Journal of Macromarketing *

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Book SynopsisHow America’s biggest company began taking better care of its workers--and why such efforts will never be enough.Fifteen years ago, Walmart was the most controversial company in America. By offering incredibly low prices, it had come to dominate the retail landscape. But with this dominance came a suite of ethical concerns. Walmart was accused of wiping out of mom-and-pop businesses across the country; ruthlessly pressuring suppliers to cut costs, even if it meant closing up U.S. factories and moving production overseas; and, above all, not taking adequate care of its own employees, who were paid so little that many wound up on public assistance. Today, while Walmart remains America's largest employer, the picture is very different. It has become an environmental leader among businesses, and has taken many other steps to use its immense scale to have a positive social impact. Most notably, its starting wage has risen from $7.25 to $12, and employee benefits have improved. With internal and external threats to its business looming, the company began to change directions in 2005—a transformation that accelerated in 2014, with the arrival of CEO Doug McMillon. By undertaking such large-scale change without a legal mandate to do so, Walmart has joined a number of major corporations that say they are dedicated to practicing a new, socially conscious form of capitalism.In Still Broke, award-winning author Rick Wartzman goes inside the company's transformation, showing in novelistic detail how the company has gotten to where it is. Yet he also asks a critical question: is it enough? With a still-simmering public debate around the minimum wage and widespread movements by workers demanding better treatment, how far will $12 an hour go in today's economy? Or even $15? Or Walmart’s average wage, which now hovers above $16—but, even so, doesn’t pencil out to so much as $35,000 a year for a fulltime worker? In the richest nation on earth, how did the bar get set so low? How did America find itself relying on an army of low-wage workers without ever acknowledging their most basic needs? And if Walmart's brand of change is the best we have, how can we ever expect to build a healthy society?With unparalleled access to the key executives and change-makers at Walmart, Still Broke does more than document a remarkable business makeover. It interrogates the role of business in American life, and asks what the future of our economy and country can be—and whose job it is to make it.

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Book SynopsisMillions have sat under the "big top," watching as trapeze artists glide and clowns entertain, but few know the captivating stories behind the men who shaped the circus.Battle for the Big Top is the untold story of the battles of the three circus kings--James Bailey, P.T. Barnum, and John Ringling-all vying for control of the vastly profitable and widely influential American Circus.New York Times bestselling author Les Standiford recreates a remarkable era when a community-without regard for gender, creed, or nationality--would be captivated by the spectacle created by three diversely talented individuals who transcended the ordinary. Ultimately, the rivalry of these three men resulted in the creation of an institution that would surpass all intentions and, for 147 years, hold a nation spellbound.Filled with details of their ever-evolving showmanship, business strategies, and personal magnetism, this Ragtime-like narrative will delight and enchant circus-lovers everywhere.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating look at the history of Sun Records, the label that started Rock n’ Roll, told through 70 of its iconic recordings.In Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1950s, there was hard-edged blues playing on Beale Street, and hillbilly boogie on the outskirts of town. But at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio on Union Avenue, there was something different going on – a whole lotta shakin’, rockin’, and rollin’. This is where rock ’n’ roll was born. Sun Records: the company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. The label that brought the world, “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Breathless,” “I Walk the Line,” “Mystery Train,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” The Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll: 70 Years of Sun Records is the official history of this legendary label, and looks at its story in a unique way: through the lens of 70 of its most iconic recordings. From the early days with primal blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King to long nights in the studio with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, you will see how the label was shaped and how it redefined American music. Accompanying the recordings is the label’s origin story and a look at the mission of the label today, as well as “Sun Spot” sidebars—a fascinating dive into subjects such as how the iconic logo was created, the legendary Million Dollar Quartet sessions, and how the song “Harper Valley, PTA” funded the purchase of the label. Written by two of the most acclaimed music writers of our time, Peter Guralnick and Colin Escott, and featuring hundreds of rare images from the Sun archives as well as a foreword by music legend Jerry Lee Lewis, this is a one-of-a-kind book for anyone who wants to know where it all started.

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Book SynopsisA corporate history of the innovative Benetton Holding Company, Edizione follows the early days of the family-owned brand, through governance and structure changes, mass distribution, infrastructure and network growth, to wider views for the future. In the late 1980s, as a world-class, multi-national and family-run business, the Benetton brand was considered a symbol of Italian entrepreneurial creativity. While at the height of its success, the Benetton family set in motion a process of diversifying its core business, developing its interests in large-scale distribution, infrastructure and the real estate sector. This strategy was made possible by the creation of an independent family-management system: Edizione Srl, today one of Europe's major holding companies. Edizione Srl has investments in many sectors, ranging from motorway and airport catering, infrastructure and mobility, to real estate and agricultural services. 'A shining example of solid, innovative business.' - Ferruccio de Bortoli

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Book SynopsisTravel to virtually any African country and you are likely to find a Coca-Cola, often a cold one at that. 'Bottled' asks how this carbonated drink became ubiquitous across the continent, and what this reveals about the realities of globalisation, development and capitalism. 'Bottled' is the first assessment of the social, commercial and environmental impact of one of the planet's biggest brands and largest corporations, in Africa. Sara Byala charts the company's century-long involvement in everything from recycling and education to the anti-apartheid struggle, showing that Africans have harnessed Coca-Cola in varied expressions of modernity and self-determination: this is not a story of American capitalism running amok, but rather of a company becoming African, bending to consumer power in ways big and small. In late capitalism, everyone's fates are bound together. A beverage in Atlanta and a beverage in Johannesburg pull us all towards the same end narrative. This story matters for more than just the local reasons, enhancing our understanding of our globalised, integrated world. Drawing on fieldwork and research in company archives, Byala asks a question for our time: does Coca-Cola's generative work offset the human and planetary costs associated with its growth in the twenty-first century?Trade Review‘Byala asks a question for our time: does Coca-Cola's generative work offset the human and planetary costs associated with its growth in the twenty-first century?’ -- Campaign for the American Reader blog'Brilliantly conceived, entertaining, and important, "Bottled" will unquestionably take its places as one of the most important social histories of Africa. With Byala's storytelling gift and eye for narrative detail, this account is a masterclass in how to integrate individual stories from around the continent with broader socio-economic and political events.' -- Caroline Elkins, Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Harvard University'The tension between Africa's interests and Coke's is a fascinating social and philosophical narrative, and Sara Byala's research and knowledge of the subject are impressive. There are not many books which give such extensive and highly entertaining first-hand examples from the field. An important contribution.' -- Mary Martin, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of International Relations, London School of Economics, and Director of the UN Business and Human Security Initiative, LSE IDEAS'"Bottled" examines the history of Coca Cola in Africa as a window onto the whirlwind of events across the continent over the past century. The detail on individual stories is outstanding.' -- Elisa Gambino, Lecturer in Global Development, University of Manchester

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Book SynopsisIn 2021, GW Pharmaceuticals plc was sold for $7.2 billion (£5.2 billion), but Dr Geoffrey Guy started it with just a licence from the UK Home Office and his personal cheque book. A Worthwhile Medicine tells the story of how and why he persuaded reluctant health regulators, sceptical investors and a conservative medical establishment that cannabis really could form the basis for a modern pharmaceutical - which he defines as 'a worthwhile medicine that can make money'. He had built up one publicly quoted pharmaceutical company only to have to step down from the top job after a failed attempt to float on the UK stock market. Undeterred, he started another venture after hearing heartrending tales of how multiple sclerosis sufferers were being denied symptom-relief because cannabis was a prohibited drug. He believed the answer was not to change the law and decriminalise recreational drugs but to create a licensed medicine from cannabis that doctors could prescribe safely for their patients. Looking to the future, Dr Guy has established a foundation to explore the exciting new area of quantum biology - the science of sub-atomic particles - which is completely changing our understanding of the ways in which all life functions.

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Book SynopsisOne of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, the Swiss multinational Novartis traces its history and that of its predecessor companies back to the first dye factories in Basel in the early 19th century. This second edition of the company's history covers early exports and expansion abroad, the unparalleled upsurge of the chemical industry in Basel during the First World War and then the emergence of pharmaceuticals in the interwar years. The enormous challenges of the Second World War were followed by an economic boom in the 1950s and 60s, the merger of CIBA and Geigy, the numerous diversifications in the 1970s and 80s, the merger of Ciba and Sandoz to found Novartis, and finally the first 25 years of Novartis. Those 25 years have included innovations in pharmaceuticals and medicine, and game-changing technologies such as the modification of T-cells. In addition to the running text, fifteen thematic articles outline the company's widely different innovations: from CIBA's early hormone preparations to the outstanding graphic design of Geigy Design, from revolutionary drugs like Sandimmune or Gleevec right through to the Novartis Campus project.

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable story of one man's journey to leadership of the world's largest energy company, The Caravan Goes On is the first published inside account of the workings of the corporation by a CEO and represents a significant addition to the literature on the turbulent development of the world's oil industry. Frank Jungers, former President, Chairman and CEO of the petroleum giant Aramco, tells the inside story of his three decades in Saudi Arabia (1947-1978) with the world's largest oil producing company. A North Dakota farm boy Jungers rose to the top of one of the most important hydrocarbon enterprises ever, a company that eventually found itself responsible for nearly one-quarter of the world's oil resources. He writes of his face-to-face encounters with King Faisal and other Saudi leaders, and his role in steering the company through major international crises that included the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the dramatic oil price increases of the 1970s, the Arab oil embargo and the OPEC hostage incident of 1975. Central to Jungers' story is his role in helping to develop Aramco's Saudi workforce in preparation for the eventual transfer of company ownership from four American oil majors to the Government of Saudi Arabia. He explains the unique nature of the ownership transfer, which was remarkably different from the bitter nationalization process seen in Iraq, Libya, Iran and Venezuela. Jungers describes how Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an important sense grew up together, and he highlights the crucial role played by Aramco in the development of the young nation's infrastructure and economy. The Caravan Goes On describes the origins of the petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia, with the granting of a concession in 1933 to a subsidiary of Standard Oil of California, the first of Aramco's four oil-company parents. Jungers talks of his own origins as the son of farmer in North Dakota, the family's migration westward due to drought and depression, and his engineering studies at the University of Washington. Jungers began his career in Saudi Arabia working at Ras Tanura, site of Aramco's first oil refinery and oil tanker terminal. He describes how Aramco built its initial workforce, consisting of Americans, Italians, Saudis and other nationalities; he explains how it soon became clear that the future of the Saudi oil industry belonged not with foreign oil interest but to the people of Saudi Arabia; and he relates how he and others worked to give Saudis the training and incentives needed to take over and successfully operate what would become the world's premier oil producing and exporting company. At the same time, Aramco, with its technological expertise and its access to international specialists, began playing a central role in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company, with support and encouragement of the Saudi Kings, took a lead role in building healthcare, agriculture, the railroads, the electric grid and other sectors of the Saudi economy. The story of the "King Faisal Era" (including the monarch's role in the oil price issue, the Arab oil embargo and his closed-door meetings with the King and his key advisers, including Oil Minister Shaikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani) are vividly described, as well as the shock of King Faisal's tragic death and the tense moments of the OPEC hostage incident that began in Vienna and ended in North Africa. Jungers speaks of his involvement in launching Saudi Arabia's Master Gas System, now a central part of the national economy and his pivotal role in the consolidation of Saudi Arabia's electrical power grid in the Eastern Province. When he returned to Saudi Arabia in 2008 to attend the celebrations of the company's 75th anniversary he fully realized the success of the Aramco venture - how it had indeed prepared large numbers of Saudis for the responsibilities of leading their country's oil industry into a new and exciting economic era. This personal, colorful and up-close view is required reading for oil-industry watchers as well as those interested in big business, geopolitics, America's role in the Middle East and the extraordinary transformation and emergence of modern Saudi Arabia since oil was discovered in its Eastern Province.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Introduction Chapter 1: Aramco's Origins Chapter 2: My Road to Aramco Chapter 3: An Arabian Adventure Chapter 4: Partners and Rivals Chapter 5: Aramcons: Forging a Workforce Chapter 6: Providing for Our Workers Chapter 7: Responding to Grievances Chapter 8: Tom Barger and Home Ownership Chapter 9: Healthy and Safe Chapter 10: Trains and Farms: Lifting an Economy Chapter 11: Interlude at Shemlan Chapter 12: The Faisal Era Begins Chapter 13: Bahrain and Abu Sa'fah Field Chapter 14: Boundaries Chapter 15: Pricing and Ownership: Part 1 Chapter 16: Pricing and Ownership: Part 2 Chapter 17: The Oil Embargo Chapter 18: Faisal's Vatican Overture Chapter 19: The Death of King Faisal Chapter 20: The OPEC Hostage Crisis Chapter 21: Powering the East: SCECO Is Born Chapter 22: Master Gas Plan Chapter 23: Royal Succession Chapter 24: Environment Matters Chapter 25: 75th Anniversary Chapter 26: Conclusion Appendix 1: Chronology Appendix 2: Company Leaders Index

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable story of one man's journey to leadership of the world's largest energy company, The Caravan Goes On is the first published inside account of the workings of the corporation by a CEO and represents a significant addition to the literature on the turbulent development of the world's oil industry. Frank Jungers, former President, Chairman and CEO of the petroleum giant Aramco, tells the inside story of his three decades in Saudi Arabia (1947-1978) with the world's largest oil producing company. A North Dakota farm boy Jungers rose to the top of one of the most important hydrocarbon enterprises ever, a company that eventually found itself responsible for nearly one-quarter of the world's oil resources. He writes of his face-to-face encounters with King Faisal and other Saudi leaders, and his role in steering the company through major international crises that included the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the dramatic oil price increases of the 1970s, the Arab oil embargo and the OPEC hostage incident of 1975. Central to Jungers' story is his role in helping to develop Aramco's Saudi workforce in preparation for the eventual transfer of company ownership from four American oil majors to the Government of Saudi Arabia. He explains the unique nature of the ownership transfer, which was remarkably different from the bitter nationalization process seen in Iraq, Libya, Iran and Venezuela. Jungers describes how Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an important sense grew up together, and he highlights the crucial role played by Aramco in the development of the young nation's infrastructure and economy. The Caravan Goes On describes the origins of the petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia, with the granting of a concession in 1933 to a subsidiary of Standard Oil of California, the first of Aramco's four oil-company parents. Jungers talks of his own origins as the son of farmer in North Dakota, the family's migration westward due to drought and depression, and his engineering studies at the University of Washington. Jungers began his career in Saudi Arabia working at Ras Tanura, site of Aramco's first oil refinery and oil tanker terminal. He describes how Aramco built its initial workforce, consisting of Americans, Italians, Saudis and other nationalities; he explains how it soon became clear that the future of the Saudi oil industry belonged not with foreign oil interest but to the people of Saudi Arabia; and he relates how he and others worked to give Saudis the training and incentives needed to take over and successfully operate what would become the world's premier oil producing and exporting company. At the same time, Aramco, with its technological expertise and its access to international specialists, began playing a central role in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company, with support and encouragement of the Saudi Kings, took a lead role in building healthcare, agriculture, the railroads, the electric grid and other sectors of the Saudi economy. The story of the "King Faisal Era" (including the monarch's role in the oil price issue, the Arab oil embargo and his closed-door meetings with the King and his key advisers, including Oil Minister Shaikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani) are vividly described, as well as the shock of King Faisal's tragic death and the tense moments of the OPEC hostage incident that began in Vienna and ended in North Africa. Jungers speaks of his involvement in launching Saudi Arabia's Master Gas System, now a central part of the national economy and his pivotal role in the consolidation of Saudi Arabia's electrical power grid in the Eastern Province. When he returned to Saudi Arabia in 2008 to attend the celebrations of the company's 75th anniversary he fully realized the success of the Aramco venture - how it had indeed prepared large numbers of Saudis for the responsibilities of leading their country's oil industry into a new and exciting economic era. This personal, colorful and up-close view is required reading for oil-industry watchers as well as those interested in big business, geopolitics, America's role in the Middle East and the extraordinary transformation and emergence of modern Saudi Arabia since oil was discovered in its Eastern Province.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Introduction Chapter 1: Aramco's Origins Chapter 2: My Road to Aramco Chapter 3: An Arabian Adventure Chapter 4: Partners and Rivals Chapter 5: Aramcons: Forging a Workforce Chapter 6: Providing for Our Workers Chapter 7: Responding to Grievances Chapter 8: Tom Barger and Home Ownership Chapter 9: Healthy and Safe Chapter 10: Trains and Farms: Lifting an Economy Chapter 11: Interlude at Shemlan Chapter 12: The Faisal Era Begins Chapter 13: Bahrain and Abu Sa'fah Field Chapter 14: Boundaries Chapter 15: Pricing and Ownership: Part 1 Chapter 16: Pricing and Ownership: Part 2 Chapter 17: The Oil Embargo Chapter 18: Faisal's Vatican Overture Chapter 19: The Death of King Faisal Chapter 20: The OPEC Hostage Crisis Chapter 21: Powering the East: SCECO Is Born Chapter 22: Master Gas Plan Chapter 23: Royal Succession Chapter 24: Environment Matters Chapter 25: 75th Anniversary Chapter 26: Conclusion Appendix 1: Chronology Appendix 2: Company Leaders Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1998, and following 17 years in the army, Jianlin Wang formed a property company in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dalian using a loan of $80,000. Today, Dalian Wanda is China's largest private property developer, generating revenues of $40 billion globally, and owning some 9-million square metres of investment property. In 2012, Wanda became the world's largest theatre owner when it acquired AMC Theatres, with a view to becoming a global entertainment colossus. Wang himself has become Asia's richest man. This book, by its founder and Chairman, provides unprecedented insight into the ethos and activities that have created the extraordinary business success that is the Wanda empire. Wang describes his managerial philosophy and the essence of his business ideas to "make Wanda a brand like Walmart or IBM or Google - a brand known by everyone in the world", and that led The Economist to call him "a man of Napoleonic ambition". As China's influence in the world economy grows led by companies such as Wanda, this book is both timely and relevant.

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