Car Guys Vs Bean Counters

Author : Bob Lutz
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2011-06-09
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781101516027

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Car Guys vs. Bean Counters by Bob Lutz Pdf

A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy that's starting to turn General Motors around. In 2001, General Motors hired Bob Lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, GM is back on track thanks to its embrace of Lutz's philosophy. When Lutz got into the auto business in the early sixties, CEOs knew that if you captured the public's imagination with great cars, the money would follow. The car guys held sway, and GM dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, GMC, and Chevrolet. But then GM's leadership began to put their faith in analysis, determined to eliminate the "waste" and "personality worship" of the bygone creative leaders. Management got too smart for its own good. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers (and much of American industry) lost their single-minded focus on product excellence. Decline followed. Lutz's commonsense lessons (with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes) will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysis-paralysis menace.

Author : Bob Lutz
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2013-06-04
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781101608081

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Icons and Idiots by Bob Lutz Pdf

When Bob Lutz retired from General Motors in 2010, after an unparalleled forty-seven-year career in the auto industry, he was one of the most respected leaders in American business. He had survived all kinds of managers over those decades: tough and timid, analytical and irrational, charismatic and antisocial, and some who seemed to shift frequently among all those traits. His experiences made him an expert on leadership, every bit as much as he was an expert on cars and trucks. Now Lutz is revealing the leaders-good, bad, and ugly-who made the strongest impression on him throughout his career. Icons and Idiots is a collection of shocking and often hilarious true stories and the lessons Lutz drew from them. From enduring the sadism of a Marine Corps drill instructor, to working with a washed-up alcoholic, to taking over the reins from a convicted felon, he reflects on the complexities of all-too-human leaders. No textbook or business school course can fully capture their idiosyncrasies, foibles and weaknesses - which can make or break companies in the real world. Lutz shows that we can learn just as much from the most stubborn, stupid, and corrupt leaders as we can from the inspiring geniuses. The result is a powerful and entertaining guide for any aspiring leader.

Author : Robert A. Lutz
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1998-09-29
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : NWU:35556028257111

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Guts by Robert A. Lutz Pdf

Provides Chrysler's Senior Manager Bob Lutz's philosophy behind his "seven laws" of business, explaining how that can be applied to making changes, transforming an operation, and creating a successful company.

Author : George O. Carney
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0847680800

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Fast Food, Stock Cars, and Rock 'n' Roll by George O. Carney Pdf

The only anthology of its kind, this collection brings together classic and recent essays by thirteen leading geographers exploring American popular culture. The essays examine music, food, sports, politics, architecture, clothing, and religion within the context of five themes of cultural geography: region, diffusions, ecology, integration, and landscape. A list of suggested readings follows each section. Fast Food, Stock Cars, and Rock-n-Roll is an excellent text for introductory courses, appealing to students through its discussion of such topics as "grunge" rock, fast food, and blue jeans.

Author : Bill Vlasic
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 375 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2011-10-04
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780062042224

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Once Upon a Car by Bill Vlasic Pdf

Once Upon a Car is the brilliantly reported inside-the-boardrooms-and-factories story of Detroit’s fight for survival, going beyond the headlines to chronicle how the country’s Big Three auto companies—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—teetered on the brink of collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. In a tale that reads like a corporate thriller, Bill Vlasic, who has covered the auto industry for more than fifteen years, first for the Detroit News and now for the New York Times, takes readers into the executive offices, assembly plants, and union halls to introduce a cast of memorable characters, many of whom are speaking out for the first time, including the executives who struggled to save their companies but in the end had to seek a controversial, last-gasp rescue from the U.S. government. Vlasic goes behind the scenes to portray the men at the top during Detroit’s last stand. Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, tried to turn around a dying company, only to be forced to resign as a condition of the government bailout. Bill Ford, great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, had the will to keep Ford alive but needed the guts to hire an unknown outsider, Alan Mulally, to transform the company before it crashed. At Chrysler, leadership was constantly changing as new owners tried in vain to fix the smallest of the beleaguered Big Three. And through it all, the president of the United Auto Workers union, Ron Gettelfinger, fought to save the jobs of the men and women who build American-made cars and trucks. This tale of an iconic industry in crisis is more than a big business drama and provides a rich, unvarnished portrait of how Detroit’s decline affected tens of thousands of workers and dozens of communities nationwide. The story moves from the gleaming corporate skyscrapers and massive auto plants to the halls of the U.S. Congress and into the Oval Office, where President Obama and his aides wrestled with how to keep General Motors and Chrysler from going out of business. Vlasic shows why the bailout worked, and how Detroit can succeed under new leadership and build automobiles equal to any in the world. Once Upon a Car tells a uniquely American tale of success, failure, and redemption. It is an important and illuminating chapter in an astonishing story that is still unfolding. And no one is more qualified to write it than Bill Vlasic.

Author : Bryce G. Hoffman
Publisher : Three Rivers Press
Page : 434 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Automobile industry and trade
ISBN : 9780307886057

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American Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman Pdf

A riveting, behind-the-scenes account of the near collapse of the Ford Motor Company, which in 2008 was close to bankruptcy, and CEO Alan Mulally's hard-fought effort and bold plan--including his decision not to take federal bailout money--to bring Ford back from the brink.

Author : Bill Vlasic,Bradley A. Stertz
Publisher : William Morrow
Page : 398 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2000-05-30
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : UOM:39015071534468

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Taken for a Ride by Bill Vlasic,Bradley A. Stertz Pdf

It was the deal heard round the world. In May 1998, a stunning $36 billion merger was announced by Chrysler, the all-American automaker, and Daimler-Benz, the German manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans. The Wall Street Journal christened the deal "the biggest industrial merger of all time." The marriage of Daimler and Chrysler promised to rock the global auto industry and draw up a blueprint for international consolidation on an epic scale. But the union of Chrysler, the blue-collar maker of Jeeps and minivans, with Daimler, the crown jewel of German industry, didn't turn out to be a merger made in heaven. When the dust settled, Daimler had bought Chrysler, and the shock waves reverberated on both sides of the Atlantic. An American icon lost its independence, and a German giant grew in power and influence. The DiamlerChrysler deal brough together two automotive superpowers and triggered a chain reaction among competitors seeking partners around the world. In a gripping narrative ripped from the daily headlines, Bill Vlasic and Bradley A. Stertz of the Detroit News go behind the scenes of the defining corporate drama of the decade. With groundbreaking reporting, they reveal the untold story behind the unsuccessful attempt to take over Chrysler by its biggest shareholder, the reclusive billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, and its legendary retired CEO, Lee Iacocca. Their startling grab for the smallest of Detroit's Big Three automakers sparked secret talks between Chrysler and Daimler on a massive joint venture. The first deal collapsed, but it set the stage for the final, intense negotiations between Chrysler chairman Robert Eaton and Daimler chairman Jürgen Schrempp. It was hailed as a historic "merger of equals," but the euphoria evaporated amid a clash of cultures, identities, and personalities. The action moves feverishly around the world with larger-than-life characters in the high-stakes arena of international automaking. Taken for a Ride follows the twists and turns in the road to DaimlerChrysler and, in the end, emerges as a cautionary tale of the risks and rewards of going global.

Author : Rana Foroohar
Publisher : Currency
Page : 402 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2017-09-12
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780553447255

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Makers and Takers by Rana Foroohar Pdf

Is Wall Street bad for Main Street America? "A well-told exploration of why our current economy is leaving too many behind." —The New York Times In looking at the forces that shaped the 2016 presidential election, one thing is clear: much of the population believes that our economic system is rigged to enrich the privileged elites at the expense of hard-working Americans. This is a belief held equally on both sides of political spectrum, and it seems only to be gaining momentum. A key reason, says Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar, is the fact that Wall Street is no longer supporting Main Street businesses that create the jobs for the middle and working class. She draws on in-depth reporting and interviews at the highest rungs of business and government to show how the “financialization of America”—the phenomenon by which finance and its way of thinking have come to dominate every corner of business—is threatening the American Dream. Now updated with new material explaining how our corrupted financial sys­tem propelled Donald Trump to power, Makers and Takers explores the confluence of forces that has led American businesses to favor balance-sheet engineering over the actual kind, greed over growth, and short-term profits over putting people to work. From the cozy relationship between Wall Street and Washington, to a tax code designed to benefit wealthy individuals and corporations, to forty years of bad policy decisions, she shows why so many Americans have lost trust in the sys­tem, and why it matters urgently to us all. Through colorful stories of both “Takers,” those stifling job creation while lining their own pockets, and “Makers,” businesses serving the real economy, Foroohar shows how we can reverse these trends for a better path forward.

Author : Ellen Leroe
Publisher : Hyperion
Page : 122 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 1996-09-15
Category : Juvenile Fiction
ISBN : 0786810963

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Fiendly Corners Book #2: Pizza Zombies by Ellen Leroe Pdf

A sinister force contained in seemingly harmless toy robots is turning the inhabitants of Friendly Corners into pizza-craving zombies.

Author : Kathleen Battles
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
Page : 291 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-06
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9781452915081

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Calling All Cars by Kathleen Battles Pdf

Calling All Cars shows how radio played a key role in an emerging form of policing during the turbulent years of the Depression. Until this time popular culture had characterized the gangster as hero, but radio crime dramas worked against this attitude and were ultimately successful in making heroes out of law enforcement officers.Through close analysis of radio programming of the era and the production of true crime docudramas, Kathleen Battles argues that radio was a significant site for overhauling the dismal public image of policing. However, it was not simply the elevation of the perception of police that was at stake. Using radio, reformers sought to control the symbolic terrain through which citizens encountered the police, and it became a medium to promote a positive meaning and purpose for policing. For example, Battles connects the apprehension of criminals by a dragnet with the idea of using the radio network to both publicize this activity and make it popular with citizens.The first book to systematically address the development of crime dramas during the golden age of radio, Calling All Cars explores an important irony: the intimacy of the newest technology of the time helped create an intimate authority—the police as the appropriate force for control—over the citizenry.

Author : Steven Pressfield
Publisher : Black Irish Entertainment LLC
Page : 472 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2014-06-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781936891290

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The Lion's Gate by Steven Pressfield Pdf

"A brilliant look into the psyche of combat. Where he once took us into the Spartan line of battle at Thermopylae, Steven Pressfield now takes us into the sands of the Sinai, the alleys of Old Jerusalem, and into the hearts and souls of soldiers winning a spectacularly improbable victory against daunting odds.” —General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army, ret.; author of My Share of the Task June 5, 1967. The nineteen-year-old state of Israel is surrounded by enemies who want nothing less than her utter extinction. The Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army has massed a thousand tanks on the nation’s southern border. Syrian heavy guns are shelling her from the north. To the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving mechanized brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt’s President Nasser has declared that the Arab force’s objective is “the destruction of Israel.” The rest of the world turns a blind eye to the new nation’s desperate peril. June 10, 1967. The Arab armies have been routed, ground divisions wiped out, air forces totally destroyed. Israel’s citizen-soldiers have seized the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan. The land under Israeli control has tripled. Her charismatic defense minister, Moshe Dayan, has entered the Lion’s Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem to stand with the paratroopers who have liberated Judaism’s holiest site—the Western Wall, part of the ruins of Solomon’s temple, which has not been in Jewish hands for nineteen hundred years. It is one of the most unlikely and astonishing military victories in history. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with veterans of the war—fighter and helicopter pilots, tank commanders and Recon soldiers, paratroopers, as well as women soldiers, wives, and others—bestselling author Steven Pressfield tells the story of the Six Day War as you’ve never experienced it before: in the voices of the young men and women who battled not only for their lives but for the survival of a Jewish state, and for the dreams of their ancestors. By turns inspiring, thrilling, and heartbreaking, The Lion’s Gate is both a true tale of military courage under fire and a journey into the heart of what it means to fight for one’s people.

Author : Toni Johnson-Woods
Publisher : University of Queensland Press(Australia)
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UOM:39015056225082

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Big Bother by Toni Johnson-Woods Pdf

An analysis of the "Big Brother" phenomenon, revealing behind-the scenes information on the housemates and the programme's extraordinary popularity. What did the series reveal about Australian culture?

Author : Tom Fennell
Publisher : Weesee
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 1999-08
Category : Automobile mechanics
ISBN : 0967109949

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Who's Gonna Fix Your Car Now? by Tom Fennell Pdf

The auto mechanics of today need to be highly trained in electronics -- a far cry from the so-called grease monkeys of the past. But whereas the need for education has increased dramatically in the auto repair industry, pay and respect for mechanics has not. Experienced mechanics are leaving the business at alarming rates and young people entering are scare. The resulting shortage of mechanics is beginning to impact motorists everywhere. If you drive a car, you need to read this book...

Author : Shepherd Mead
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 1965
Category : Great Britain
ISBN : WISC:89015218050

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How to Live Like a Lord Without Really Trying by Shepherd Mead Pdf

Author : Tom Morrison
Publisher : Schiffer Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0887404219

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Root Beer by Tom Morrison Pdf

The largest and most comprehensive reference about the sassafras soft drink root beer and its promotional advertising, bottles, cans, mugs, crowns, bottle openers, and manufacturers. This was American competition going on. You will marvel at the extent of this display; the variety is effervescent.