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X: The Foghorn Decision
by Karim R. Lakhani Kyle R. Myers Robert S. HuckmanIn February 2016, Kathy Hannun--a project leader at X, Alphabet Inc.'s so-called "moonshot factory--had to prepare a recommendation for the senior leadership of X regarding the future of Foghorn, a project she was leading to develop a carbon-neutral process for converting sea water into fuel. Recognizing the blueprint for projects at X--(1) addressing a huge problem with a (2) radical solution using (3) breakthrough technology--Hannun had to decide whether to recommend killing the project. Despite the technical feasibility of the Foghorn process, its expected cost per gallon of fuel produced was signficiantly higher than the established "kill metric"--the maximum unit cost that Hannun and colleagues had set for continuing the project. The case provides an opportunity to examine the management of radical innovation and the challenges associated with assessing early stage ideas. Topics covered include the importance of experimentation and failure as well as the management of opportunity costs in solving large problems.
Coco Chanel: From Fashion Icon to Nazi Agent
by Emily Grandjean Geoffrey G. JonesCase describes the career of the iconic French fashion designer Coco Chanel who created a transformational business during the first half of the twentieth century. The case describes how she leveraged relationships to build her fashion business and legendary luxury brand based on understated elegance. Chanel famous little black dress was accompanied by many other innovations including the use of jersey as material and her development of the Chanel No. 5 perfume. The case pays close attention to the importance of Chanel's networks among artists and European high society. It explores how she embraced the Anti-Semitism widely found in that society at that time period. During World War 2 Chanel lived in the Ritz hotel in Paris in occupied France in a relationship with a high-ranking German intelligence officer. She herself became an intelligence operative for Nazi Germany. The case ends with Chanel in Switzerland in 1945 after she had left France after the Liberation by Allied forces. This case can be used to explore multiple issues including creating and building an iconic fashion brand; female entrepreneurship; and ethical responsibility of business.
Bajaj Finance: Building an Omnipresent Financial Services Firm
by Das Narayandas Rachna TahilyaniCase
"Doctor My Eyes"--The Acquisition of Bausch & Lomb by Warburg Pincus (A)
by Nori Gerardo LietzIn early 2010, senior partners at Warburg Pincus met to review a report on Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, the firm's largest investment at the time. Warburg Pincus had led a group of investors in acquiring Bauch & Lomb on October 26, 2007, taking the company private and becoming its largest and controlling shareholder. Since the acquisition, there had been significant progress at Bausch & Lomb through changes in senior leadership and in its business model. But, shortly after the second anniversary of the investment, the senior partners were beginning to question whether the depth and pace of change was enough. They had some tough decisions to make.
Bulldog Drummond's Third Round (The Bulldog Drummond Thrillers #3)
by H. C. McNeileIn his thrilling third adventure, Bulldog Drummond battles a hired thug with grand aspirations Edward Blackton stares across the crystal waters of Lake Geneva, dreaming of a score big enough to transform him from mere criminal genius to world-dominating mastermind. His recent audience with two panicked representatives of an international diamond cartel may be his big chance. A British professor has perfected the cheap manufacture of precious stones, endangering the very existence of the diamond industry. To safeguard the cartel&’s millions, Blackton will make the professor see reason—or send him to his grave.Luckily, the professor can call on Bulldog Drummond, enemy of criminal syndicates everywhere. Stopping Blackton will mean a chase across England and beyond—and a dip into the dangerous waters that Drummond navigates like no other.This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Persian Boy: A Novel Of Alexander The Great: A Virago Modern Classic (The Novels of Alexander the Great #2)
by Mary RenaultA New York Times–bestselling novel of the ancient king of Macedon and his lover by the author Hilary Mantel calls &“a shining light.&”The Persian Boy centers on the most tempestuous years of Alexander the Great&’s life, as seen through the eyes of his lover and most faithful attendant, Bagoas. When Bagoas is very young, his father is murdered and he is sold as a slave to King Darius of Persia. Then, when Alexander conquers the land, he is given Bagoas as a gift, and the boy is besotted. This passion comes at a time when much is at stake—Alexander has two wives, conflicts are ablaze, and plots on the Macedon king&’s life abound. The result is a riveting account of a great conqueror&’s years of triumph and, ultimately, heartbreak.The Persian Boy is the second volume of the Novels of Alexander the Great trilogy, which also includes Fire from Heaven and Funeral Games.This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author.&“Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us.&” —Hilary Mantel
Iona Moon: A Novel
by Melanie Rae ThonIn the unforgiving vortex of the American heartland, when you have to choose, you always choose life For Iona Moon, the open fields of the Kila Flats and the town of White Falls are centuries apart rather than the distance of a few miles. Mocked and feared by her classmates, Iona is only desirable to beautiful, brilliant Jay Tyler when they&’re in the backseat of Willy Hamilton&’s Chevy. Passion offers relief from the abuse of her older brothers and the sorrow of her mother&’s slow surrender to cancer. But transient pleasures do not lead to grace—and Iona discovers she must escape everything she knows before she can learn to love the ones who have harmed her. Sensual, haunting, and tender, Iona Moon is a cry for independence, a demand for respect, and a realization that all worlds are cruel in their own ways.
A Shower of Summer Days: A Novel
by May SartonNational Book Award Finalist: A couple returns to an Irish village after years away in this novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of As We Are Now. The Irish estate home Dene&’s Court has been empty for years—its icy visage, shuttered windows, and overgrown tennis court are a burden for its caretakers and a curiosity for the nearby townspeople. And so the announcement that Violet Dene Gordon and her husband, Charles, are on their way back from British Burma to settle in the long-dormant estate sends a ripple of excitement through the sleepy village. For Violet, Dene&’s Court stands as a monument to her childhood, but lingering doubts remain about whether she and Charles will be happy there. Adding complexity to the arrangement is the arrival of Violet&’s American niece, a college student named Sally who has been sent by her mother in an effort to put an ocean between the impetuous young woman and the object of her affection, an actor. Anxiety, tempers, and long-buried emotions flare as the estate&’s new residents search for a sense of belonging and peace between its hallowed and serene walls.
The Continent of Lies
by James MorrowA dystopian tale about mass-entertainment-turned-toxic from the award-winning author of Towing Jehovah—perfect for Philip K. Dick fans. Cutting-edge virtual reality has emerged as a popular, albeit controversial, source of amusement. Devouring a cephapple or &“dreambean&” allows the eater to become the primary player in a preprogrammed narrative: love story, historical spectacle, horror thriller—this medium encompasses all genres. Our protagonist, Quinjin, is a professional dreambean critic, rating the hallucinogenic adventures hidden within these remarkable fruits. But something has gone terribly wrong. An anonymous &“dreamweaver&” has created a cephapple that, by transporting its users to the core of an inescapable nightmare, drives them stark raving mad—just the sort of ammunition the anti-dreambean movement needs to get the technology banned. Quinjin is hired to find the source of the poison and eradicate it. But the reviewer&’s heroic quest becomes highly personal when the person he most cares about—his teenage daughter—eats the forbidden fruit and lapses into a coma. Dark and satiric, The Continent of Lies is a bravura demonstration of the bold originality that has won James Morrow two Nebula Awards, two World Fantasy Awards, and the Prix Utopia.
The Oxford Gambit (The Peter Marlow Mysteries #3)
by Joseph HoneBored and broke, Marlow quits retirement to search for a mole within MI6It&’s springtime in Scotland, and an aging spy is tending to his bees. Smoke rises from his bellows as he looks in on the colony for the first time since winter. When his wife goes to check on him, the bellows are still smoking but her husband has disappeared. He may be dead, he may be kidnapped—or he may have gone over to the other side. To locate the missing beekeeper, the secret service turns to Peter Marlow, a veteran agent who is finding retirement no substitute for life in the field. He soon discovers a byzantine Russian conspiracy, of which the vanished spy is either the architect or the victim, operating deep within British intelligence. In the shadows of this secretive government agency, there are more pressing dangers than the sting of a frightened honeybee. The Oxford Gambit is the third book in the Peter Marlow Mystery series, which also includes The Sixth Directorate and The Valley of the Fox.
Notions: Stories
by Robert SheckleyIn &“Gray Flannel Armor,&” a man named Hanley finds perfection in a rigidly regular structure of social interaction—including for romance—and devises a system that the whole of humanity adopts. The eleven other stories in this collection are &“Gray Flannel Armor,&” &“The Leech,&” &“Watchbird,&” &“A Wind Is Rising,&” &“Morning After,&” &“The Native Problem,&” &“Feeding Time,&” &“Paradise II,&” &“Double Indemnity,&” &“Holdout,&” &“Dawn Invader,&” and &“The Language of Love.&” From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was &“a precursor to Douglas Adams.&”
The Specialty of the House (Murder Room Ser.)
by Stanley EllinIn a quaint old restaurant, a chef relies on a devilish secret ingredient In Sbirro&’s restaurant, there is no electric lighting, no music, and no menu. The only sound is the contented sighs of the regulars, who come every night in hopes that Sbirro will treat them to his signature dish, the famed lamb Amirstan, which comes from a beast so rare, only Sbirro knows how to obtain it. Tonight, two diners at this spectacular relic of a forgotten age will find that lamb Amirstan costs more than they are willing to pay. &“The Specialty of the House&” was the first story published by Stanley Ellin, who would go on to become one of the great short fiction authors of the twentieth century. From crime to horror to grim tragedy, every story in this collection is as delectable as a cut of meat prepared by Sbirro himself.
When Grief Calls Forth the Healing: A Memoir of Losing a Twin
by Mary Rockefeller MorganIn 1961, Michael Rockefeller, son of then-governor of New York State Nelson A. Rockefeller, mysteriously disappeared off the remote coast of southern New Guinea. Amid the glare of international public interest, the governor, along with his daughter Mary, Michael&’s twin, set off on a futile search, only to return empty handed and empty hearted. What followed were Mary&’s twenty-seven-year repression of her grief and an unconscious denial of her twin&’s death, which haunted her relationships and controlled her life.In this startlingly frank and moving memoir, Mary R. Morgan struggles to claim an individual identity, which enables her to face Michael&’s death and the huge loss it engendered. With remarkable honesty, she shares her spiritually evocative healing journey and her story of moving forward into a life of new beginnings and meaning, especially in her work with others who have lost a twin.&“The sea change began one November day in 1961. I remember the moment before. A window in the corner of my parents&’ living room drew my attention. A windblown branch from an azalea bush scratched the surface of the glass, making a discordant sound. My father stands out clearly, his figure powerful and solid next to the soft, down-pillowed sofa. By the window, my two brothers and I are clustered around my mother, wary, and watching him. It was barely two months since Father had separated from her. And just days before, he&’d called a press conference, choosing to publicly expose his affair and his decision to remarry. Father held a yellow cablegram in his hand. Mike, my twin brother, was missing off the coast of New Guinea. Missing . . . The &‘s&’ sound. Like a thin knife, it slipped deep inside me. No resistance, just a sharp, knowing pain and then shimmering silence.&” —Adapted from Chapter One
The Yellow Room: Three Complete Novels By America's Mistress Of Mystery - The Bat - The Haunted Lady - The Yellow Room
by Mary Roberts RinehartAn isolated country house sets the scene for a wartime mystery from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author known as the American Agatha Christie. As far as Carol Spencer is concerned, the war has spoiled everything. She and Don had been engaged for years and were on the verge of marriage when he was shot down in the South Pacific, leaving Carol on the verge of spinsterhood at twenty-four. She wants to take some kind of job in the war effort, but her invalid mother demands that Carol accompany her to the family&’s summer home in Maine. But when they arrive at the faded mansion, they find it completely locked up. The servants are gone, the lights are dark—and there is a body in the closet. There is a killer on the grounds of the abandoned Spencer estate, and the police believe it is Carol. As war rages across the seas, Carol Spencer fights a private battle of her own—to prove her own innocence, and to save her mother&’s life.
Journal from Ellipsia: A Novel
by Hortense CalisherA humorous satire and loving tribute to science fiction that delves into the tenuous relationship between science and the humanities by asking, What does it mean to be human?A genderless alien from Ellipsia, a planet whose inhabitants have no concept of individuality, comes to Earth on an intergalactic exchange program to learn how to become human. To live here, the traveler must study and understand our inclinations for seeing people as distinct beings—the nature of gender, and at the heart of identity, the word I. At once funny and serious, Journal from Ellipsia offers a starkly objective view on our own humanity.
Our Father: A Novel
by Marilyn FrenchNew York Times–bestselling author of The Women&’s Room: While a man lies in the hospital, his four daughters struggle to make peace with him—and one another. In a Massachusetts hospital, as distinguished presidential adviser Stephen Upton lies mortally ill, four women gather at his lavish mansion. Half sisters Elizabeth, Mary, Alex, and Ronnie have painful and poignant memories of their childhoods—and of their father. Born to different mothers, the sisters haven&’t seen one another in years. As Upton hovers between life and death, his daughters begin to open up about the man they love and hate. They share their stories and discover the terrible secret that binds them all together . . . the secret they kept even as they fought for Upton&’s approval and affection. As they struggle to make peace with their father—and with one another—the women finally begin to heal and forgive the sins of the past. Moving and eloquent, Our Father is a testament to the power of female bonding.
Beyond Heaven's River
by Greg BearA Japanese WWII soldier finds himself on an alien world in this novel from the bestselling &“master of the grand-scale SF novel&” (Booklist). Yoshio Kawashita is a great warrior until aliens whisk him away during World War II. They put him on a desolate planet far from his home, where he is destined to remain forever, leaving him alone in his new hell. Then Anna Nestor appears. This empress does not see planets as homes for their inhabitants; she sees exploitable real estate. Anna Nestor views Kawashita as a sideshow attraction until they fall in love. But the two lovebirds cannot be free until they find out who kidnapped Kawashita and why.
Wyndmere: Poems
by Carol Muske-DukesPoems on the power of memory and the shading of past into presentIn this enthralling collection, National Book Award finalist and former Poet Laureate of California Carol Muske-Dukes composes a lyrical autobiography, tracing her family history from the Dakota prairie to her new life as a young mother in Los Angeles. In &“The Separator,&” Muske-Dukes writes of her grandfather, a wheat farmer, winnowing, threshing, planting a future in the deep black soil of Wyndmere, North Dakota. In &“Biglietto d&’Ingresso,&” she recalls a perfect day in Tuscany, spent with her future husband in a town overlooking a wine valley. &“August, Los Angeles, Lullaby&” is a lulling yet harrowing description of the wonder of a mother holding her newborn child—and her own fragility, encountering mortality—as a hummingbird touches the hourglass of the feeder outside the window . . . then is gone.
Recovering: A Journal
by May SartonAn affecting diary of one year&’s hardships and healing, by one of the twentieth century&’s most extraordinary memoirists For decades, readers have celebrated May Sarton&’s journals for their candid look at relationships, success and failure, communion with nature, and the curious stages of aging. In Recovering, Sarton focuses on her sixty-sixth year—one marked by the turmoil of a mastectomy, the end of a treasured relationship, and the loneliness that visits a life of chosen solitude. Each deeply felt entry in the journal, written between 1978 and 1979, is laced with poignancy and honesty as she grapples with a cold reception for her latest novel, the sad descent of a close friend into senility, and other struggles. Despite the trials of this one painful year, Sarton writes of her progression toward a hard-won renewal, achieved through good friendships, the levity provided by her cherished dog, and peaceful days in her garden. A candid account of Sarton&’s revival from personal darkness back into light, Recovering is another stunning entry in the author&’s irrepressible oeuvre.
New America
by Poul AndersonContinuing from Orbit Unlimited, New America is the next chapter in the story of the planet Rustum, where the Constitutionalists continue their mission to build a more perfect nation Civilization on Rustum has come a long way since its early days, when a few brave colonists traveled twenty light-years from Earth to found a society, New America, on the principle of personal liberty. Some call themselves Constitutionalists, others Jeffersonians, but whatever the title everyone can agree: Rustum has a problem. With one-and-a-quarter times the gravitational force of Earth and a host of inedible flora, Rustum is most habitable on its highlands, leaving the lowlands sparsely populated and creating a great imbalance on the planet. Dan Coffin, an original settler of Rustum, agrees to join an expedition back to the lowlands, where he is one of the rare individuals who can survive in the dense air without a helmet. New America follows Coffin&’s endeavors to build a new life with a wife, children, and an effective governing body that can help give the lowlanders not only survive, but thrive.
The Cask: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel (Dover Mystery Classics Ser.)
by Freeman Wills CroftsA strange container is found on the London docks, and its contents point to murder The cask from Paris is bigger than the rest, its sides reinforced to hold the extraordinary weight within. As the longshoremen are bringing it onto the London docks, the cask slips, cracks, and spills some of its treasure: a wealth of gold sovereigns. As the workmen cram the spilled gold into their pockets, an official digs through the opened box, which is supposed to contain a statue. Beneath the gold he finds a woman&’s hand—as cold as marble, but made of flesh. He reports the body to his superiors, but when he returns, the cask has vanished. The case is given to Inspector Burnley, a methodical detective of Scotland Yard, who will confront a baffling array of clues and red herrings, alibis and outright lies as he attempts to identify the woman in the cask—and catch the man who killed her. This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Forever and Five Days: The Chilling True Story of Love, Betrayal, and Serial Murder in Grand Rapids, Michigan (True Crime Ser.)
by Lowell CauffielThe bestselling author&’s &“auspicious debut in the true-crime genre . . . [a] sensitive and searching story of the murders of at least six nursing home patients&” (Publishers Weekly). Outside the dining hall of the Alpine Manor nursing home, there is a sign that reads, &“This is Grand Rapids, Michigan,&” a reminder for those who can no longer trust their own minds. For months, Cathy Wood has fed these residents, bathed them, and even moistened their eyes with artificial tears. To her, they live in a state worse than death—and she has decided to relieve them of their pain. Wood and her lover, Gwen Graham, make a pact to kill those whom they were hired to care for. No one notices when an elderly person dies a quiet death, but as these two slip deeper into their plan, the terrible secret becomes unbearable. Lowell Cauffiel&’s account of the Alpine Manor murders is a chilling saga of true crime and the twisted lengths to which some will go in pursuit of justice.
Babbitt: Collector's Edition - Sinclair Lewis
by Sinclair LewisSinclair Lewis&’s Nobel Prize–winning satire of the American middle class Zenith is like many American cities in the wake of the First World War: midsize, industrial, booming with opportunities for enterprising capitalists. But Zenith is unique as a middling metropolis; within its wandering streets walks one George Babbitt, world-class realtor, American dreamer, social climber, and civic booster. But unexpectedly, dark clouds appear on Babbitt&’s horizon: his best friend, a convicted murderer? His eldest daughter, a wretched socialist? Coddled by the trappings of his professional and personal success, how can Babbitt become stricken with loneliness, dissatisfaction, and frustration? First published in 1922, Lewis Sinclair&’s contentious bestselling satire of middle-class America is more relevant than ever. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Ruin Value: A Mystery of the Third Reich
by J. Sydney JonesIn 1945 Nuremberg, an American intelligence officer tracks a killer: &“Powerful . . . Fans of WWII mystery fiction should consider this one mandatory reading&” (Booklist). Nuremberg is a dead city. In the aftermath of World War II, two-thirds of its population has fled or is deceased, with thirty thousand bodies turning the ruined industrial center into a massive open grave. Here, the vilest war criminals in history will be tried. But in Nuremberg&’s dark streets and back alleys, chaos rules. Captain Nathan Morgan is one of those charged with bringing order to the home of the war crime trials. A New York homicide detective who spent the war in Army intelligence, he was born to be a spy—and now, in 1945, there is no finer place for his trade than Nuremberg. As the US grapples with the Soviets for postwar supremacy, a serial murderer targets the occupying forces. Nathan Morgan may be the perfect spy, but it&’s time for him to turn cop once more.
Captive of Gor (Gorean Saga #7)
by John NormanA woman from Earth is forced into sex slavery on the fantasy planet of Counter Earth in this Gorean Saga novel. In this installment of the Gorean Saga, beautiful and headstrong Elinor Brinton of Earth finds herself thrust into the savage world of Counter Earth, also known as Gor. Brinton must relinquish her earthly position as a beautiful, wealthy, and powerful woman when she finds herself a part of the harsh Gorean society. She is powerless as a female pleasure slave in the camp of Targo the slave-merchant. Forced to learn the arts of providing pleasure to any man who buys her, Elinor is determined to escape. Nevertheless, she is sold for a high price, and her master is determined to get his money&’s worth . . . Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Captive of Gor is the 7th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.