"An excellent primer on the most important subject for American business in the 1990's--training its people."--James Flannigan, business columnist, Los Angeles TimesBased on interviews and site visits with twelve Baldrige National Quality Award-winning companies as well as with two winners of the President's Quality and Productivity Award. This complete guide for implementing total quality management (TQM) in all organizations offers lessons learned by leading TQM companies to help managers and executives assess an organization's readiness for TQM and prepare for the cultural revolution required to truly embrace quality.
Chrissie Wellington, the world's number one female Ironman athlete and four-time World Ironman Champion, presents her struggles, wisdom, and experiences gained from her hard-won career as a triathlete. With close to 2 million core participants, triathlons of various distances and challenges are attracting more participants than ever before. In TO THE FINISH LINE, one of the sports' greatest legends brings triathlon to life, with guidance for newbies or experienced athletes, to achieve their best triathlons-no matter their ability. Filled with training tips, practical advice and inside information from a champion, triathletes of all levels can benefit from Wellington's experience and insight. Her book will guide readers on their own journey, whether that be a sprint or an Ironman, and encourage them to rise to every new challenge.
The courageous autobiography of the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. Millions watched in awe as Marla Runyan ran the 1500 meter event in Sydney. But few know the real story of the woman who was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease at nine years old—and became compelled to achieve what was thought beyond her reach, in the world of athletics as well as in life. With endearing self-deprecation and surprising wit, Marla Runyan reveals what it’s like to see the world through her eyes, and what it means to compete at the world-class level, despite the fact that—quite literally for her—there is no finish line. “[Runyan] presents her story with acuity and grace, rising above expectations and prejudice . . . [her] story is well-paced and finishes strong; readers will hope she keeps going and going.”—Publishers Weekly “An amazingly personal account of how she has dealt with the various highs and lows in her life.”—Ventura County Star
In the 1880s photographers and sports enthusiasts confidently declared the end of dead heats in sporting competition. Reflecting a broader social belief in technology, proponents of the camera stressed that the device could provide definitive proof of who won and who lost. Yet despite this remedy for the inadequate human eye, competitive races between horses, boats, and bicycles ended too close to call a sole champion. More than a century later, when cameras can subdivide the second into ten-thousandths and beyond, athletes continue to cross the finish line in ties. In this fascinating journey through the history of the photo-finish in sports, Jonathan Finn shows how innovation was animated by a drive for ever more precise tools and a quest for perfect measurement. As he traces the technological developments inspired by this crusade - from the evolution of the still camera to movie cameras, ultimately leading to complex contemporary photo-finish systems - Finn uncovers the social implications of adopting and contesting the photograph as evidence in sport. At every turn empirical obsession intersects with the unpredictability of sports, creating a paradox wherein the precision offered by photo-finish technology far exceeds the realities of human performance and its measurement. Separating athletes by the hundredth, thousandth, or ten-thousandth of a second is often a fiction that comes with significant material and cultural implications. A lively biography of a critical technology, Beyond the Finish Line illuminates the cultural role of the photo-finish in win-at-all-costs culture and warn that in our pursuit for precision we may threaten the human element of sport that galvanizes mere spectators into fans.
Why so many of America's public university students are not graduating—and what to do about it The United States has long been a model for accessible, affordable education, as exemplified by the country's public universities. And yet less than 60 percent of the students entering American universities today are graduating. Why is this happening, and what can be done? Crossing the Finish Line provides the most detailed exploration ever of college completion at America's public universities. This groundbreaking book sheds light on such serious issues as dropout rates linked to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Probing graduation rates at twenty-one flagship public universities and four statewide systems of public higher education, the authors focus on the progress of students in the entering class of 1999—from entry to graduation, transfer, or withdrawal. They examine the effects of parental education, family income, race and gender, high school grades, test scores, financial aid, and characteristics of universities attended (especially their selectivity). The conclusions are compelling: minority students and students from poor families have markedly lower graduation rates—and take longer to earn degrees—even when other variables are taken into account. Noting the strong performance of transfer students and the effects of financial constraints on student retention, the authors call for improved transfer and financial aid policies, and suggest ways of improving the sorting processes that match students to institutions. An outstanding combination of evidence and analysis, Crossing the Finish Line should be read by everyone who cares about the nation's higher education system.
You have a lot to offer family, friends, business colleagues, bosses and clients, but sometimes it seems they just don't appreciate what you've done or what you can do for them. In Prism of Value, Liz Wainger will help you reframe the way you communicate to make your messages clear and help others see the value you can bring into their lives. Through personal stories and real-world examples of both good and bad communication styles, she will help you see how the message you think you're sending is not necessarily the message that's being received. Prism of Value takes you step-by-step through the process of discovering your value and building a strong message to convey that value to others. You will learn about the power of clarity, how to choose words that communicate value, what makes a good message "bite," how to find your own "shtick," and ways to weave a powerful story to deposit in your personal story bank. This book will show you ways to grab the attention of those around you and ways to work successfully with those drawn into your orbit. Learn how to battle the "word mongers," those who seek to demonstrate their power by pulling out their red pen and then slow your progress. You'll see how to keep your ego in check, prevent "communication crashes," and take the extra step that will set you apart from the pack. Whether you're trying to improve communications with your spouse or kids, apply for a new job, sign that big client, or get the promotion you deserve, you'll find tips for success in Prism of Value.
Every Christian knows that life can be tough at the best of times! Just as the running of a race takes extreme effort-so it is that the Christian life is often a struggle-but one well worth the effort. The reality of life's journey can present major challenges! Like a runner, we need proper training and encouragement to make it to the finish line. Dr. Don Wilton uses the Book of Hebrews, while drawing on his personal journey, as a training manual for the race God has called us to run. As we maneuver the course and cross the finish line, we show others that living the Christian life really does make a difference.
The most renowned figure in the world of marketing offers the new rules to the game for marketing professionals and business leaders alike In Marketing Insights from A to Z, Philip Kotler, one of the undisputed fathers of modern marketing, redefines marketing's fundamental concepts from A to Z, highlighting how business has changed and how marketing must change with it. He predicts that over the next decade marketing techniques will require a complete overhaul. Furthermore, the future of marketing is in company-wide marketing initiatives, not in a reliance on a single marketing department. This concise, stimulating book relays fundamental ideas fast for busy executives and marketing professionals. Marketing Insights from A to Z presents the enlightened and well-informed musings of a true master of the art of marketing based on his distinguished forty-year career in the business. Other topics include branding, experiential advertising, customer relationship management, leadership, marketing ethics, positioning, recession marketing, technology, overall strategy, and much more. Philip Kotler (Chicago, IL) is the father of modern marketing and the S. C. Johnson and Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, one of the definitive marketing programs in the world. Kotler is the author of twenty books and a consultant to nonprofit organizations and leading corporations such as IBM, General Electric, Bank of America, and AT&T.
Peter Sagal, the host of NPR’s Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me! and a popular columnist for Runner’s World, shares “commentary and reflection about running with a deeply felt personal story, this book is winning, smart, honest, and affecting. Whether you are a runner or not, it will move you” (Susan Orlean). On the verge of turning forty, Peter Sagal—brainiac Harvard grad, short bald Jew with a disposition towards heft, and a sedentary star of public radio—started running seriously. And much to his own surprise, he kept going, faster and further, running fourteen marathons and logging tens of thousands of miles on roads, sidewalks, paths, and trails all over the United States and the world, including the 2013 Boston Marathon, where he crossed the finish line moments before the bombings. In The Incomplete Book of Running, Sagal reflects on the trails, tracks, and routes he’s traveled, from the humorous absurdity of running charity races in his underwear—in St. Louis, in February—or attempting to “quiet his colon” on runs around his neighborhood—to the experience of running as a guide to visually impaired runners, and the triumphant post-bombing running of the Boston Marathon in 2014. With humor and humanity, Sagal also writes about the emotional experience of running, body image, the similarities between endurance sports and sadomasochism, the legacy of running as passed down from parent to child, and the odd but extraordinary bonds created between strangers and friends. The result is “a brilliant book about running…What Peter runs toward is strength, understanding, endurance, acceptance, faith, hope, and charity” (P.J. O’Rourke).
The authors of Run Like a Mother share a comprehensive guide to race training for busy runners of all experience levels. In Train Like a Mother, elite runners Dimitry McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea offer inspiration and practical advice on how to run a race—from training plan to finish line. Covering four race distances (5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon), they discuss pre- and post-race nutrition; strength training; injury prevention (and rehab); the importance of recovery; and everything busy women need to know to add racing to their multitasking schedules. It is all presented with the same wit, empathy, and tone the avid fans connect and identify with.
