With major retailers closing brick-and-mortar stores every month and the continued shift to online shopping, there is a major push to strengthen customer loyalty by improving the customer experience. The two most important qualities that consumers look for are convenience and efficiency. Finally a source is available that will give retailers and companies in general the insight needed to enhance customer satisfaction while improving the overall shopping experience. This book uses the world-leading findings from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and its accompanying Global Customer Satisfaction Index (GCSI) – invaluable, incomparable sources of consumer insights and information, to inform best practices for improving the consumer experience, better satisfying customers, and achieving profitable customer loyalty today and into the rapidly changing future. This book will help us understand where we were, where we are today, and where we are heading tomorrow in providing exceptional customer experiences. It is a must-read for marketing professionals and customer-focused senior executives alike.
"Hits a grand slam for its intended audience. It might even convince skeptics that superhero stories can make good literature." —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "An extraordinary novel." —Emily St. John Mandel, bestselling author of Station Eleven 30 years ago a superhero tried to save Chicago. Now the city is again under siege, in this gritty, suspenseful, and beautifully written novel from award-winning debut author T.J. Martinson Somewhere in Chicago, a roomful of people have been taken hostage. The hostages will be killed one by one, the masked gunman says on-screen, unless the police will admit that they faked the death of the legendary superhero called the Kingfisher and helped him to give up his defense of the city thirty years ago. Retired reporter Marcus Waters made his name as a journalist covering the enigmatic superhero’s five years of cleaning up Chicago’s streets. Then the Kingfisher died, Chicago resumed its violent turmoil, and Marcus slid back into obscurity. But did the Kingfisher really die? And who would take hostages connected to the Kingfisher's past attempts to clean up the streets? With the help of disgraced police officer Lucinda Tillman and a young hacktivist named Wren, Marcus will explore the city's violence, corruption, and chaos to figure out if the vigilante hero died tragically, or gave up hope and abandoned the city—and for the hostages, the clock is ticking.
"Quest for the Best is not just a nostalgic look, however, at the age of handcrafted elegance. Marcus gives good advice on how consumers can educate themselves about the best, demand it, and get it. He describes his own experiences with the best in chapters such as "The Things You Love to Touch" and "Bed and Board." Witty, urbane, but always accessible, Marcus is a joy to read."--BOOK JACKET.
Venetian-born Safiye controls the Empire from within the veiled harem walls, her web of intrigue reaching far beyond Constantinople and into Europe. Allowing nothing to stand in her way, her sole ambition is to secure the throne of the Ottoman Empire for her son.
The reign of Philip the Fair marks both the culmination of the medieval French monarchy and the beginning of the transition from the medieval to the modern period. In this long-awaited study of Philip's reign, Joseph R. Strayer discusses the king's personality, his quarrels with the Church and with neighboring rulers, and his relations with his subjects. He also examines developments in the French administrative system. In studying the decision-making process and the careers of hundreds of royal officials, the author determines how increases in royal power and in the effectiveness and complexity of the administration were achieved. He also considers how these changes affected the possessing classes and how Philip made them acceptable or at least tolerable to the politically conscious segment of the population. As Professor Strayer shows, under Philip, the balance of loyalty swung away from the local authorities and the Church Universal and toward the secular, sovergein state. the central administration grew so strong, and its efficiency so improved, that it became the model for many other European states. Joseph R. Strayer retired from Princeton University as Dayton-Stockton Professor of History in 1973. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State and Medieval Statecraft and the Perspectives of History (both Princeton books). Originally published in 1980. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
From one of the foremost authorities on education in the United States, former U.S. assistant secretary of education, “whistle-blower extraordinaire” (The Wall Street Journal), author of the best-selling The Death and Life of the Great American School System (“Important and riveting”—Library Journal), The Language Police (“Impassioned . . . Fiercely argued . . . Every bit as alarming as it is illuminating”—The New York Times), and other notable books on education history and policy—an incisive, comprehensive look at today’s American school system that argues against those who claim it is broken and beyond repair; an impassioned but reasoned call to stop the privatization movement that is draining students and funding from our public schools. In Reign of Error, Diane Ravitch argues that the crisis in American education is not a crisis of academic achievement but a concerted effort to destroy public schools in this country. She makes clear that, contrary to the claims being made, public school test scores and graduation rates are the highest they’ve ever been, and dropout rates are at their lowest point. She argues that federal programs such as George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind and Barack Obama’s Race to the Top set unreasonable targets for American students, punish schools, and result in teachers being fired if their students underperform, unfairly branding those educators as failures. She warns that major foundations, individual billionaires, and Wall Street hedge fund managers are encouraging the privatization of public education, some for idealistic reasons, others for profit. Many who work with equity funds are eyeing public education as an emerging market for investors. Reign of Error begins where The Death and Life of the Great American School System left off, providing a deeper argument against privatization and for public education, and in a chapter-by-chapter breakdown, putting forth a plan for what can be done to preserve and improve it. She makes clear what is right about U.S. education, how policy makers are failing to address the root causes of educational failure, and how we can fix it. For Ravitch, public school education is about knowledge, about learning, about developing character, and about creating citizens for our society. It’s about helping to inspire independent thinkers, not just honing job skills or preparing people for college. Public school education is essential to our democracy, and its aim, since the founding of this country, has been to educate citizens who will help carry democracy into the future.
"This edgy fantasy doesn't just blur boundaries of genre, of gender, of past and present, life and death--it explodes them." --Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms series and the Shattered Realms series. Without the dead, she'd be no one. Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their soul from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised: the Dead must remain shrouded. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, a grotesque transformation begins, turning the Dead into terrifying, bloodthirsty Shades. A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears around the kingdom. Soon, a crushing loss of one of her closest companions leaves Odessa shattered, and reveals a disturbing conspiracy in Karthia: Someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is forced to contemplate a terrifying question: What if her magic is the weapon that brings the kingdom to its knees? Fighting alongside her fellow mages--and a powerful girl as enthralling as she is infuriating--Odessa must untangle the gruesome plot to destroy Karthia before the Shades take everything she loves. Perfect for fans of Three Dark Crowns and Red Queen, Reign of the Fallen is a gutsy, unpredictable read with a surprising and breathtaking LGBT romance at its core.
As an evil emperor struggles to maintain his immortality, two of his subjects embark on fateful adventures in this epic fantasy trilogy debut. For the past nine centuries, Emperor Kostimon has ruled Imperia from the Ruby Throne, even as lawlessness and greed threaten to bring the empire crumbling to the ground. But his immortality stems from a bargain with the very source of evil itself: the dark lord Beloth. Now, as Kostimon's tenth and final lifetime begins, the shadow god is growing restless… As the son of Imperia’s most powerful healer, Caelan E'Non is expected to follow in his father's footsteps. Except Caelan feels a burning desire to blaze his own trail—and possesses a magic he does not understand. Meanwhile, Elandra Albain has been raised as a servant in her father's house. Her spoiled sister, Lady Bixia, is thought to be destined for greatness. But Elandra has a surprising destiny all her own. Now, in a time of unimaginable upheaval, Caelan and Elandra begin journeys of adventure and terrifying danger—journeys that will alter the course of Imperia forever.
New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s romantic, sweeping fantasy Reign of Shadows continues in this suspenseful sequel, Rise of Fire. Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever. Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the King discovers both Fowler and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne. Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler but the power she was destined to inherit.
