Sale of the Century

Author: Chrystia Freeland
Publisher: Crown
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 424

Book Description
In the 1990s, all eyes turned to the momentous changes in Russia, as the world's largest country was transformed into the world's newest democracy. But the heroic images of Boris Yeltsin atop a tank in front of Moscow's White House soon turned to grim new realities: a currency in freefall and a war in Chechnya; on the street, flashy new money and a vicious Russian mafia contrasted with doctors and teachers not receiving salaries for months at a time. If this was what capitalism brought, many Russians wondered if they weren't better off under the communists. This new society did not just appear ready-made: it was created by a handful of powerful men who came to be known as the oligarchs and the young reformers. The oligarchs were fast-talking businessmen who laid claim to Russia's vast natural resources. The young reformers were an elite group of egghead economists who got to put their wild theories into action, with results that were sometimes inspiring, sometimes devastating. With unparalleled access and acute insight, Chrystia Freeland takes us behind the scenes and shows us how these two groups misused a historic opportunity to build a new Russia. Their achievements were considerable, but their mistakes will deform Russian society for generations to come. Along with a gripping account of the incredible events in Russia's corridors of power, Freeland gives us a vivid sense of the buzz and hustle of the new Russia, and inside stories of the businesses that have beaten the odds and become successful and profitable. She also exposes the conflicts and compromises that developed when red directors of old Soviet firms and factories yielded to -- or fought -- the radically new ways of doing business. She delves into the loophole economy, where anyone who knows how to manipulate the new rules can make a fast buck. Sale of the Century is a fascinating fly-on-the-wall economic thriller -- an astonishing and essential account of who really controls Russia's new frontier.

The Race of the Century: The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile (Scholastic Focus)

Author: Neal Bascomb
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 1338628496
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 235

Book Description
Highly acclaimed author Neal Bascomb brings his peerless research and fast-paced narrative style to a young adult adaptation of one of his most successful adult books of all time, The Perfect Mile, an inspiring and moving story of three men racing to achieve the impossible -- the perfect four-minute mile. Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future. There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be beyond the limits of human foot speed. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners each set out to break this barrier: Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur; John Landy the privileged son of a genteel Australian family; and Wes Santee the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete. Spanning three continents and defying the odds, these athletes' collective quest captivated the world. Neal Bascomb's bestselling adult account adapted for young readers delivers a breathtaking story of unlikely heroes and leaves us with a lasting portrait of the twilight years of the golden age of sport.

The Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Berge Collection

Author: Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery
Publisher: Flammarion
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 334

Book Description
A photographic record of the major pieces from the collection of Yves St Laurent and Pierre Bergé in their homes before being sold in Paris on 23 February 2009 after the death of St Laurent. A complete catalogue of the items and the prices when auctioned by Christies, France is included-- Cataloguer's note.

Storm of the Century

Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 067103264X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description
Publisher Description

Integrity Selling for the 21st Century

Author: Ron Willingham
Publisher: Currency
ISBN: 0385509561
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 239

Book Description
“I have observed several hundred salespeople who were taught to use deceptive practices like ‘bait and switch’ and encouraged to play negotiation games with customers... In the same industry, I have observed countless people who had been taught to sell with high integrity. Ironically, their customer satisfaction, profit margins, and salesperson retention were significantly higher.” — Ron Willingham If you’ve tried manipulative, self-focused selling techniques that demean you and your customer, if you’ve ever wondered if selling could be more than just talking people into buying, then Integrity Selling for the 21st Century is the book for you. Its concept is simple: Only by getting to know your customers and their needs — and believing that you can meet those needs — will you enjoy relationships with customers built on trust. And only then, when you bring more value to your customers than you receive in payment, will you begin to reap the rewards of high sales. Since the publication of Ron Willingham’s enormously successful first book, Integrity Selling, his sales program has been adopted by dozens of Fortune 500 companies, such as Johnson & Johnson and IBM, as well as the American Red Cross and the New York Times. In his new book, Integrity Selling for the 21st Century, Willingham explains how his selling system relates to today’s business climate — when the need for integrity is greater than ever before. Integrity Selling for the 21st Century teaches a process of self-evaluation to help you become a stellar salesperson in any business climate. Once you’ve established your own goals and personality traits, you’ll be able to evaluate them in your customers and adapt your styles to create a more trusting, productive relationship. Drawing upon Willingham’s years of experience and success stories from sales forces of the more than 2,000 companies that have adopted the Integrity Selling system, Ron Willingham has created a blueprint for achieving success in sales while staying true to your values.

The Big House

Author: George Howe Colt
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439124914
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Book Description
Faced with the sale of the century-old family summer house on Cape Cod where he had spent forty-two summers, George Howe Colt recounts returning for one last stay with his wife and children in this stunning memoir that was a National Book Award Finalist and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. This poignant tribute to the eleven-bedroom jumble of gables, bays, and dormers that watched over weddings, divorces, deaths, anniversaries, birthdays, breakdowns, and love affairs for five generations interweaves Colt’s final visit with memories of a lifetime of summers. Run-down yet romantic, The Big House stands not only as a cherished reminder of summer’s ephemeral pleasures but also as a powerful symbol of a vanishing way of life.

The Salesman of the Century

Author: Ron Popeil
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780385313780
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
In the last 20 years, Ron Popeil's incredible inventions--including Veg-o-Matic, Pocket Fisherman, and the Inside the Shell Egg Scrambler--have grossed over $300 million in sales. This book tells his amazing rags-to-riches story. But wait, there's more! Ron also gives invaluable advice to budding entrepreneurs on how to profit in the home shopping business or any business venture. Photos.

The Love Story of the Century

Author: Märta Tikkanen
Publisher: Deep Vellum Publishing
ISBN: 1941920942
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 108

Book Description
Hailed an immediate classic of Finnish literature on its publication in 1978 and an international bestseller that has been translated into 19 languages, Märta Tikkanen’s verse novel is a haunting, profoundly evocative portrait of one woman’s fraught relationship with her alcoholic husband, inspired by the author's own experience. In language that is as delicate as it is fierce, Tikkanen explores the depths of fear and violence that often accompany addiction and the struggle to reconcile that pain with the deep love and strength necessary to hold a family together through it all. As much a story of resilience as it is suffering, The Love Story of the Century is a bittersweet account of the complexities of addiction, the power of creativity, and the redemption of love.

The Century of Revolution, 1603-1714

Author: Christopher Hill
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0415267390
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
This graphic depiction of a turbulent era in British history examines the lives of commoners and the nobility. The author combines vivid description with provocative argument to describe these exciting and dramatic events.

Storm of the Century

Author: Willie Drye
Publisher: National Geographic Society
ISBN: 9780792241034
Category : Florida Keys (Fla.)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A gripping chronicle of the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the United States and its devastating aftermath details the fiercest storm of September 1935 from the perspectives of survivors of the storm, Federal Emergency Relief Administration employees, and government officials. Reprint.