In the phar­maceutical industry, it’s Merck. In discount retail, it’s Family Dollar. It used to be Wrig­ley in candy and Maytag in appliances. Other superstars have been hidden in plain sight, like Heartland Express in trucking or Linear Technology in semiconductors. How do these exceptional companies deliver superior perfor­mance over the long run despite facing the same constraints as competitors? What are they doing differently? What can we learn from them? Michael E. Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed have analyzed data on more than 25,000 com­panies spanning forty-five years. Their five-year study began with a sophisticated statistical analysis to identify which companies have truly exceptional performance, 344 in all. In collaboration with teams of researchers, Raynor and Ahmed then put a carefully chosen representative sample of twenty-seven com­panies under the microscope to uncover what made the stand-out performers different. They found that exceptional companies, when faced with difficult decisions, follow three rules:Better before cheaper. They rarely compete on price.Revenue before cost. They drive profits through price and volume, not thrift.There are no other rules. Everything else is up for grabs, and they are willing to change anything to remain true to the first two rules. The rules provide an indispensable compass that any company can use to chart its own path to greatness. Is it better to keep price down or invest in creating value that commands a higher price? Should you focus on talent and develop­ing the abilities of your people or build processes to extend the capabilities of your organization? How about acquiring a sizable competitor to secure economies of scale—or a small start-up to gain access to new technology? According to Raynor and Ahmed, the right answers to these and just about every other question are the ones most closely aligned with the rules. The Three Rules is built on a powerful combina­tion of large-scale data analysis and in-depth case studies. Its guidance will increase the chance that your organization can become truly exceptional.

    

    They are the best of the best, the Navy SEALs, the world’s most elite fighting force. When a vital kill-mission inside Afghanistan uncovers an unexpected and deadly plot to use a nuclear weapon that could cost thousands of American lives, they are called upon once more. SEAL Team Bravo: Black Ops - Raid on AfghanistanBravo Platoon, SEAL Team 7, parachutes into action, but a question mark hangs over their Chief Petty Officer, Kyle Nolan. Can he still cut it? Nolan is the glue that holds the platoon together. That is, until the murder of his wife started to tear him apart. If he comes unstuck during the mission, the lives of them all are in danger. There is no time to make changes, they have to press forward, the mission must continue no matter what. They have to succeed against a vicious and clever enemy. As they get closer, they face a succession of daunting and overwhelming obstacles to uncover the truth. Yet even their commanders refuse to believe the damning evidence that Bravo sends back. Almost alone and unaided, they must hunt down and pursue their enemy to the snowy wastes of the Hindu Kush and stop a catastrophic terrorist attack. SEAL Team Bravo: Black Ops - Cartel NightmareThe death of DEA agent in a squalid Mexican town forces the world’s most elite fighting force to take action. This time, the brutal and callous drug traffickers who haunt the dark underbelly of Ciudad Juarez have gone too far. For the dead agent was the nephew of US Marine Corps Major General Hicks. With links to the SEALs, he insists on nothing but the best to avenge his nephew. A mission is planned to hunt down and destroy the drug cartel, led by Chief Kyle Nolan. Yet the Mexican end of the operation is only the first part of the mission. When they discover the traffickers have a fortified facility close to Medellin, Colombia, the mission brief must change.SEAL Team Bravo: Black Ops - Strike on IranWhen the US learns of a planned genocidal attack by Middle East terrorists, Bravo Platoon is called in. They must fight their way through to a besieged Syrian town to bring out the Israeli agent who first flagged the threat. Leaving behind a long, bloody trail of Syrian bodies, they battle their way out to carry the data back for analysis by NSA. The recovered decrypts show a rogue element of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the Pasdaran, is building a dirty bomb, to be used on Israel and the US. Bravo Platoon is sent back into action, this time to Iran, the terror capital of the world and America’s sworn enemy. They must locate and destroy the bomb making facility before the weapons can be deployed.

    Over a thousand pages of heart-pounding sci-fi action. One great price. With over a hundred thousand books sold and borrowed, the Argonauts series has been one of the best-selling sagas published on Amazon over the past year. For fans of military science fiction and space opera alike, this bundle contains the first three novels: Bug Hunt, You Are Prey, and Alien Empress. In this compelling set, Rade Galaal and his elite team of mercenaries enter the fray to deal with an alien infestation, infiltrate a stone-age civilization, and defend an extraterrestrial homeworld. Download this unique bundle today, because there's never been a better time to hunt some bugs.

    

    They have four young children, a house in the mountains of Utah, health, love, and money. But their lives are suddenly turned upside-down when Harris is kidnapped one morning on his way to work.Local police and the FBI make little headway on the case until, to everyone’s surprise, Harris turns up alone and comatose in a motel room several states away. He’s in perfect health except that he’s missing a kidney – the result of a rogue surgery performed by a world-class talent.Urban legend suddenly becomes suburban reality and nightmare for the Harris family as they face some terrifying questions. Why did the kidnappers choose Harris as their victim donor? And why did they allow him to survive? Harris and his family are about to learn the horrifying answers.

    In the US or Canada? Then don't miss the sale price on the first 4 books in this series: "4 Action-Packed Ryan Lock Thrillers: Lockdown; Deadlock; Lock & Load; Gridlock" Follow former military men turned private security operators, Ryan Lock, and Ty Johnson, as they confront a dark conspiracy in a remote college town (THE INNOCENT), hunt down a cult-like group snatching young women from the streets of Los Angeles (FIRE POINT) and help a desperate father save his only child from an abusive school for teens (THE EDGE OF ALONE). "This is a writer, and a hero, to watch." - Geoffrey Wansell, The Daily Mail "This series is ace. There are deservedly strong Lee Child comparisons as the author is also a Brit, his novels US-based, his character appealing, and his publisher the same." - Sarah Broadhurst, The Bookseller "Black's style is supremely slick." - Jeremy Jehu, The Daily Telegraph "The pace of Lee Child, and the heart of Harlan Coben." - Joseph Finder, New York Times Bestseller (Paranoia, Buried Secrets) 'Ryan Lock (is) a protagonist tough enough to take on the Jacks of this world (that's Bauer and Reacher)' - Russel McLean Over a thousand pages of bestselling, action-packed, heart-pounding suspense for one very low price. Books included (in order): THE INNOCENT When college basketball coach Malik Shaw goes missing after a family tragedy, it looks like just another retired athlete gone off the rails. But Malik’s childhood friend, private security specialist Ty Johnson, quickly begins to suspect that there is more to it. Chasing the truth, Ty and his business partner, Ryan Lock, begin to uncover a sinister conspiracy of silence in a sleepy Minnesota college town. FIRE POINT Ryan Lock and Ty Johnson are in Los Angeles and on the trail of an unlikely cult who are planning on taking their message to the world in the most devastating fashion imaginable. THE EDGE OF ALONE An isolated school for troubled teens. A series of mysterious deaths. A father frantically trying to rescue his daughter before it's too late. But when the law won't listen, who can he turn to?

    

    It’s not only her death, but her last words to him. He embarks on a search to uncover the truth. What follows is a dangerous journey. A journey full of unforeseen pitfalls, which could ultimately put both his life, and the lives of his whole family in jeopardy.

    Nobody knows who created donuts. Or where. Or when. Neptune's core is covered in plastic. "Eleven plus two" is an anagram of "twelve plus one." Five of George Foreman's children are called George Foreman. One of the designers of Barbie used to build missiles. There's a flower that looks like Darth Vader's helmet. Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize in 2016. There's an Egyptian professor who believes that the pyramids were built by dinosaurs. Abracadabra means "I create as I speak." Tulips used to be worth $1,250 each. There's a group of people who firmly believe that Finland isn't real. Queen Elizabeth I invented gingerbread men.

    Why did this happen? Based on extensive research, including transcripts of FBI-wiretap conversations, Fallen Angel is an insightful account of a remarkable man and the extraordinary events surrounding him: this is the real story of Rajat Gupta, an orphaned immigrant from India who managed to reach dizzying heights in the US corporate sector. Although the verdict is out, the mystery remains: several jury members were in tears after delivering the verdict, and nearly everyone who has known Gupta believes he is innocent so what really happened? With its almost thriller-like cast of real-life characters, Fallen Angel is a page-turner that explores the complex layers of this human drama.

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    Sheriffs Blood by John Legg - Texas Glory by Robert Vaughan - Stillwater Smith by Frank Roderus - The Horsemen by Gary McCarthy - Wades War by Chet Cunningham - Nemesis by L. J. Martin

    In The Etiquette Advantage in Business, 2nd Edition, etiquette authorities Peggy Post and Peter Post provide you with the all-important tools for building solid, productive relationships with your business associates -- relationships that will help propel you and your company straight to the top. In this completely revised and updated edition, which includes three new chapters on ethics, table manners, and electronic communication, the Posts show you how to handle both everyday and unusual situations that are essential to professional and personal success -- from resolving business conflicts with ease and grace to getting along with your boss and coworkers; from making long-lasting contacts to winning clients and closing deals. They also offer up-to-date guidance on pressing issues such as harassment in the workplace, worker privacy, e-mail dos and don'ts, and knowing how and when to shoulder blame. Written for business workers of all types and backgrounds, The Etiquette Advantage in Business remains the definitive resource for timeless advice on business entertaining, written communication, dressing appropriately for any business occasion, conventions and trade shows, job searches and interviews, gift-giving, and overseas travel. No matter the situation in which you find yourself, the Posts will give you the confidence to meet the challenges of the work world with confidence and poise -- because today, more than ever, good manners mean good business.

    Josh, like many kids on the threshold of adulthood, eagerly dashes to the other side of the world unaware that his hunger for adventure is, on many levels, emotional escape in disguise. The mental illness that preys on his family and a childhood plagued by night terrors are stowaways that follow him to Norway alongside the promises of ‘free love’ and a year-long exploration of exotic landscapes. Norway proves to be a land of extremes: too much light, too much darkness, and perhaps even too much beauty — the kind that stabs laser-sharp into the soul. It’s a beauty that either kills you or teaches you how to survive by not looking away. Where the Light Enters is a subtle and graceful study of what it takes to stare terrifying truth in the eye and hold that gaze long enough to recognize a path to sanity, and love — even for those who have made you believe that neither is possible.” - Robynn Colwell, winner of Ireland’s 2013 Anam Cara Short Fiction Competition.