At a time when the Soviet Union is disintegrating, Richard Debo provides an intriguing and detailed examination of the new political realities that slowly and painfully emerged in eastern Europe out of the chaos left in the wake of the First World War. Revealing the reasons for the victory of Lenin's Bolshevik government in the Russian civil war, Debo demonstrates that Bolshevik political and diplomatic skills were far superior to those of either their indigenous opponents or their many foreign enemies. For much of 1919, enemies of the Soviet government were more interested in fighting each other than the Bolsheviks, and, although foreign powers sought to influence competing anti-Bolshevik generals, they actually contributed little to the defeat of the Red Army. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks established realistic priorities, formulated flexible policies, and made political sacrifices unimagined by their enemies. As a result they were able to find allies and divide opponents.
Name any industry and more likely than not you will find that the three strongest, most efficient companies control 70 to 90 percent of the market. Here are just a few examples: McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's General Mills, Kellogg, and Post Nike, Adidas, and Reebok Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, and Banc One American, United, and Delta Merck, Johnson & Johnson, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Based on extensive studies of market forces, the distinguished business school strategists and corporate advisers Jagdish Sheth and Rajendra Sisodia show that natural competitive forces shape the vast majority of companies under "the rule of three." This stunning new concept has powerful strategic implications for businesses large and small alike. Drawing on years of research covering hundreds of industries both local and global, The Rule of Three documents the evolution of markets into two complementary sectors -- generalists, which cater to a large, mainstream group of customers; and specialists, which satisfy the needs of customers at both the high and low ends of the market. Any company caught in the middle ("the ditch") is likely to be swallowed up or destroyed. Sheth and Sisodia show how most markets resemble a shopping mall with specialty shops anchored by large stores. Drawing wisdom from these markets, The Rule of Three offers counterintuitive insights, with suggested strategies for the "Big 3" players, as well as for mid-sized companies that may want to mount a challenge and for specialists striving to flourish in the shadow of industry giants. The book explains how to recognize signs of market disruptions that can result in serious reversals and upheavals for companies caught unprepared. Such disruptions include new technologies, regulatory shifts, innovations in distribution and packaging, demographic and cultural shifts, and venture capital as well as other forms of investor funding. Years in the making and sweeping in scope, The Rule of Three provides authoritative, research-based insights into market dynamics that no business manager should be without.
“When Gessen speaks about autocracy, you listen.” —The New York Times “A reckoning with what has been lost in the past few years and a map forward with our beliefs intact.” —Interview As seen on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and heard on NPR’s All Things Considered: the bestselling, National Book Award–winning journalist offers an essential guide to understanding, resisting, and recovering from the ravages of our tumultuous times. This incisive book provides an essential guide to understanding and recovering from the calamitous corrosion of American democracy over the past few years. Thanks to the special perspective that is the legacy of a Soviet childhood and two decades covering the resurgence of totalitarianism in Russia, Masha Gessen has a sixth sense for the manifestations of autocracy—and the unique cross-cultural fluency to delineate their emergence to Americans. Gessen not only anatomizes the corrosion of the institutions and cultural norms we hoped would save us but also tells us the story of how a short few years changed us from a people who saw ourselves as a nation of immigrants to a populace haggling over a border wall, heirs to a degraded sense of truth, meaning, and possibility. Surviving Autocracy is an inventory of ravages and a call to account but also a beacon to recovery—and to the hope of what comes next.
This book argues that democracies emerging from peaceful protest last longer, achieve higher levels of democratic quality, and are more likely to see at least two peaceful handovers of power than democracies that emerged out of violent resistance or top-down liberalization. Nonviolent resistance is not just an effective means of deposing dictators; it can also help consolidate democracy after the transition from autocratic rule. Drawing on case studies on democratic consolidation in Africa and Latin America, the authors find that nonviolent resistance creates a more inclusive transition process that is more resistant to democratic breakdown in the long term.
Practical tips and real-world advice for thriving professionally in the midst of a major M&A deal As a follow-up to his highly popular book Intelligent M&A, author Scott Moeller expanded the chapter on surviving a merger into an in-depth discussion of the subject. Surviving M&A offers practical advice for professionals who worry about their jobs while their organizations are embroiled in the turmoil of a merger or acquisition. Moeller not only shows readers how to keep their jobs safe, but how to turn lemons into lemonade and actually move up the corporate ladder during the chaos of M&A. For anyone in this precarious position, this book offers smart ideas and winning tactics.
Success in war ultimately depends upon the consolidation of political order. Consolidating the new political order is not separate from war, rather Nadia Schadlow argues that governance operations are an essential component of victory. Despite learning this the hard way in past conflicts from the Mexican War through Iraq and Afghanistan, US policymakers and the military have failed to institutionalize lessons about post-conflict governance and political order for future conflicts. War and the Art of Governance distills lessons from fifteen historical cases of US Army military intervention and governance operations from the Mexican War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Improving outcomes in the future will require US policymakers and military leaders to accept that the political dimension is indispensable across the full spectrum of war. Plans, timelines, and resources must be shaped to reflect this reality before intervening in a conflict, not after things start to go wrong. The American historical experience suggests that the country's military will be sent abroad again to topple a regime and install a new government. Schadlow provides clear lessons that must be heeded before next time.
An indispensable guide to strategic best practices for business mergers Thirteen years ago, the experts at A. T. Kearney embarked on a landmark, worldwide study of business mergers. Encompassing 25,000 companies across 24 industries in 53 countries, the study revealed much crucial information that was previously unknown about business consolidation. This book shares those revelations and insights with senior executives, consultants, and industry analysts involved in the merger process. More important, it builds on those findings to present readers with a solid game plan for winning the consolidation game. Readers learn about the consolidation cycles through which industries pass, how to identify where in the cycle their industry currently lies, how to leverage that knowledge in determining which organizational changes they need to make and when they need to make them, and how to develop and deploy the most successful merger strategies.
Lung Cancer: Over the course of the last decade, the treatment of lung cancer has evolved quite rapidly. New scientific and clinical advances have modified the standard of care and led to improved patient outcomes. At the same time, the treatment of lung cancer has become increasingly complex, requiring the comprehensive review and assessment of multiple issues, genetics, radiology, surgery, reconstruction, chemotherapy, and more. As a result the harmony and open communication between these specialties facilitated by a multidisciplinary team approach are crucial in providing the best care to patients and ensuring successful treatment. Lung Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Diagnosis and Management, written by a multidisciplinary team of authors representing a range of disciplines, is a valuable resource for physicians, fellows, nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, and all health care providers involved in the treatment of lung cancer. Lung Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Diagnosis and Management summarizes the state-of-the-art issues related to the treatment of lung cancer and describes an approach for optimal multidisciplinary care for individuals who have been diagnosed with lung cancer or who are at higher risk to develop lung cancer. About the Series: The Current Multidisciplinary Oncology series edited by Charles R. Thomas consolidates and integrates the varied aspects of multidisciplinary care for major topics in oncology, including breast, lung, prostrate, head and neck and more. The volumes in the Current Multidisciplinary Oncology series will represent all related topic areas, including oncology, radiation oncology, pain, pathology, imaging, psychological support and the primary disease. In addition, each volume includes a chapter focusing on special populations and the disease's impact / difference on them, and discussion of future directions and quality of life issues. In addition each volume has a chapter written by a private practice oncologist. All Current Multidisciplinary Oncology titles provide: Consolidation and integration of the varied aspects of multidisciplinary care for major topics in oncology Coverage of all related topic areas, including medical and surgical oncology, radiation oncology, pain, pathology, imaging, psychological support, and the primary disease A chapter focusing on special populations and the disease's impact / difference on them A chapter on community practice written by a private practice oncologist Discussion of quality-of-life issues
