The Accidental Executive

For people in the workplace, there is a great deal to learn from Joseph in the book of Genesis. He spent time both at the top and at the bottom—as a leader and as a slave in Egypt. In this new book about faith and work, author Albert M. Erisman shares lessons learned from the frontlines of business, government, and education, and how they connect to Joseph’s life. Through the author’s own work experiences and interviews with business leaders across the world, you’ll learn that Joseph dealt with issues that are still common in the business world today. Studying his life can offer guidance and encouragement in any workplace.

Examines the relationship between investment banking and the rise of the Internet during a period of intense investment in start-up dot.com ventures and discusses how the focus of banking has shifted from a relationship with clients to the need for profitability.

"[This book] shows you how to create a support system that will help your organization use technology more effectively and make your day-to-day life less hectic. This hands-on guide walks you through five projects that, when completed, will give you a comprehensive and usable support system: Conducting a technology inventory; Assessing and supporting staff; Assessing and buying technology; Protecting your organization from diasters and data loss; Managing your role."--Book cover.

The first in-depth look at one of the world's richest-and mostsecretive-businessmen Though his wealth is certainly no secret, the world's fourthrichest man remains an enigma. Paul Allen made his fortune as BillGates's partner in Microsoft, supplemented it with questionable,though often profitable, venture capital schemes, and has sinceinvested his wealth in a widely divergent list of interests. Heowns the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and the NFL's SeattleSeahawks. Among hundreds of smaller ventures, he is a primarystakeholder in the film production company DreamWorks SKG andformerly held a large piece of the widely despised Ticketmastermonopoly. Dubbed the "Accidental Zillionaire" by Wired magazine,Allen has often appeared to be a bumbler who succeeded primarilythrough luck and by coopting the visionary ideas of others. In TheAccidental Zillionaire, Laura Rich, one of the foremost chroniclersof the Internet economy, unravels the secret Paul Allen, his innermotivations, his vision, and his personality. She tells Allen'sstory from his days as a fledgling computer geek in suburbanWashington state, to his role in founding the world's largestsoftware company, to his battle with cancer, to his sycophanticflirtation with Hollywood and its brightest stars. Paul Allen is aman of various interests and passions, but few if any know himwell. The Accidental Zillionaire for the first time reveals theinner workings of a towering figure in the worlds of technology,business, sports, and entertainment. Laura Rich (Los Angeles, CA) is a former writer forThe Industry Standard, Adweek, and InsideMedia. She currently covers the world of digital entertainmentfor Entertainment Weekly, Fortune, and TheHollywood Reporter. She penned The Standard's popular "RichList" report and has reported on Paul Allen for years.

Economics, finance, business and industry.

A practical guide for inexperienced marketers who have to develop a marketing strategy With technology being built into products of all kinds, many businesses are hiring scientists, engineers, and designers to fulfill strategic marketing and product management roles. The Accidental Marketer is a practical guide for employees who are now responsible for developing strategy. These marketers will be able to immediately and successfully apply the ten tools featured in the book to create powerful strategies that increase sales and profits for any product in any industry. Explains how great marketers uncover insights about customers that competitors miss and use new insights to create a range of strategic options for their marketing plans Shows how the best marketers execute their strategies through developing innovative branding and communication plans and value propositions The Accidental Marketer allows any inexperienced marketer to step into a new role and develop an effective strategy.

Not every activist starts out with the goal of changing the world. Some have their life shaped by chance, quirks of timing, and strange coincidences. And an unwillingness—or simple inability—to fully ignore the horrors perpetrated on animals today. Since Matt Ball learned of factory farms well over a quarter century ago, his journey has been anything but linear. Instead, his evolution has been fraught with denial, regression, conflicts, and failures. Matt’s evolution shows that not every activist is a confident extrovert with all the answers. His struggles—often publicly played out in written form, in newsletters, mailings, blogs—have influenced, directly and indirectly, countless individuals. Even though accidental and reluctant, the hard-learned but ultimately pragmatic lessons Matt shares in this book are changing the world. Having learned from years of mistakes, his insights can help others be effective and, hopefully, happier as well. As Peter Singer notes, “A new future is in sight, one that Matt, Vegan Outreach, and other advocates are hard at work creating.” This book can help each of us be a part of bringing about this new future.