Blindsided

Modern management science seeks to streamline and rationalise the business process; to base decision-making on proven facts and to eliminate risk and uncertainty. Unfortunately, businesses are run by human beings and depend on other human beings for their custom. Human beings, it seems safe to say, are irredeemably selfish, greedy, short-sighted and prone to mass delusion. Time and again throughout history, business and society have been blindsided by people’s irrational and unpredictable behaviour. And it’s not just the consumers: well-respected business executives and their advisors get swept up with euphoria and panic along with the rest of us; they succumb to greed; they fail to plan for likely crises (and sometimes even for inevitable ones). Blindsided looks at the history of such outbreaks of irrational behaviour, at the occurrence of unpredictable but likely events, such as global pandemics and collapses of law and order, and at changes that have caught forecasters by surprise, such as the ageing and declining population of some affluent modern societies. This fascinating book reminds the world of business that it needs to plan for the unexpected, and to realise that neither its consumers nor even its own executives must be expected to act with cool rationality at all times.

What if Romeo wore hockey skates, and Juliet was raised on a farm next door? As a life-long Vermonter, there are three beliefs I’ve always held true: 1. Our family farm is everything 2. Hockey is a close second 3. The Todds next door are our sworn enemies But this season will test everything I stand for. I have an illicit side job that could cost me my hockey scholarship. And now Maggie Todd knows my secret. She’s waiting for the right moment to use it against me. But every time I face off against her, I learn things I shouldn’t want to know. Like how deeply her competitive streak runs, and how sexy that is. And how easy it is to make her blush… everywhere. An Adler and a Todd cannot be lovers. Breaking that rule is like pulling a pin on a grenade--everything in my life could blow up. Can we surrender to these feelings… or will our families’ feud make us its next casualty?

Former Australian rugby union legend and World Cup winner, now acclaimed television sports pundit, on his glittering career in the game – and how close he came to losing his life.

A temporary marriage knocked him off his game, but love blindsided him. The daughter of one-time rock legends, Emma Maxwell is the good girl of the family, the dutiful sister, the doting aunt, and a dedicated employee in the family party-crashing business. Every Wednesday night at Karaoke, she indulges in her secret fantasy of being a singer. Yet the thrill of being on stage doesn't rival the thrill of a spontaneous liaison with the delectable, yet downtrodden, quarterback of the Seattle Steelheads, Tanner Wolfe, Emma’s long-time crush. Tanner didn't see it coming--not any of it. He was blindsided--by his dysfunctional family, his plummeting career, and the one thing he least expected--by love. After photos with Emma go viral, Tanner is caught in a lie and tells a bigger one to get out of it. Now he’s shoulder-pads deep in a temporary marriage while struggling to resurrect his disastrous career and reunite his broken family. As time passes, Tanner begins to wonder if temporary is good enough, but he’s made a promise to Emma, one which has nothing to do with marriage vows and everything to do with her Nashville singing career and the end of their relationship. Will Tanner and Emma take the ball and drive for the win, or will they be permanently relegated to the sidelines as the clock runs out on their temporary marriage? KEYWORDS: Sports Romance, Football Romance, Marriage of Convenience, singer, music, opposites attract, football romance, football novel, sports romance, Seattle, football, urban romance, alpha male, sports hero, football star, professional football, football player, quarterback, bad boy, good girl, second chance, damaged hero, singer, family issues, marriage of convenience For fans of: Helena Hunting, Elle Kennedy, Catherine Gayle, Toni Aleo, Jami Davenport, Kelly Jamieson, Sarina Bowen, Sawyer Bennett, Carly Phillips, Kennedy Ryan, Nana Malone, Brenda Rothert, Elise Faber, Kate Meador, Victoria Denault, Mira Lyn Kelly, Odette Stone, Jennifer Lazaris, Lisa B Kamps, Cathryn Fox, Samantha Lind, Samantha Whiskey, Stacey Lynn

Solve problems before they happen. The speed of change is accelerating. It took radio twenty years to attract ten million users; it took television half that time, Netscape only twenty-eight months, Hotmail eighteen and Napster twelve. New technology, mergers, competition coming out of left field: all these factors mean the business landscape is more chaotic, confusing, and complex than ever before. Blindsided! presents a series of breakthrough techniques to help business leaders identify trends earlier and more accurately predict their impact. Drawing upon his extensive experience consulting the world's top corporations, global change guru Jim Harris demonstrates how to build consensus faster within organizations when the tumult of the market threatens to throw plans off course. Every executive dreads being blindsided; with this tool, leaders will learn to stay one step ahead of the game. Jim Harris (Vancouver, Canada) is the Principal of Strategic Advantage, a management consulting firm whose clients include General Motors, Arthur Andersen, Deloitte & Touche, and Sybase. He is the author of The Learning Paradox (Capstone: 1-84112-189-4), and he speaks internationally at over seventy conferences a year.

"This book will change the way you think about professional football--in much the same way that Bill James revolutionized the analysis of Major League Baseball. The research is impeccable. The approach is irreverent. You will be 'blindsided' by what you think you know about the NFL, but don't. Warning to fantasy football lovers: You won't be able to put this book down." —Sal Paolantonio, ESPN reporter and author of The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Teams, Coaches, and Moments in NFL History "KC Joyner's theories will completely revolutionize football, cure baldness, save the whales, and bring total peace and harmony to all nations. That's why you must read Blindsided!" —Gregg Easterbrook, ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback "Too much of football literature is just tedious hagiography, but Blindsided is a book for those of us who enjoy the complex game on the field and football conversation that goes past 'my team rules.' " —Aaron Schatz, lead author and editor of Pro Football Prospectus Pro football’s statistical iconoclast, K.C. Joyner, challenges conventional wisdom with fact-based and film-based responses in Blindsided: Why the Left Tackle is Overrated and Other Contrarian Football Thoughts. If you love sports statistics or find excitement in fantasy football, you will enjoy the detailed insights and carefully researched information in this book. Scrap the typical media hype and hoopla for the real, straight-from-the-fields-and-films scoop, including information on free agents, parity, NFL business practice, Hall of Fame standards, coaching practices, historical iconoclasm, and a thorough statistical review.

Blindsided by Leslie LaFoy released on Sep 27, 2005 is available now for purchase.

A comprehensive disctionary of common misusages illustrates the right way and the wrong way to use language and explores why dictionaries do not always provide the correct meaning or usage of a word.