Books in the Corporations That Changed the World series

This book provides a detailed analysis of the company and its success and goes beyond the headlines about safety and culture.Americans are so accustomed to using Uber today that the name of the innovative ride-sharing company has almost become a verb, as in "to Uber" somewhere, and yet Uber has been around only since 2010.

Two guys named Steve, working in a garage, created a prototype computer designed to be different in a way no one thought possible: It would be easy to use. Those two Steves, one now a billionaire and still at the head of Apple, not only succeeded with that product, but they also broke ground in the business world in ways few thought possible: They proved you could not only have fun at work, but pursuing a capitalist dream could be hip. How did Apple do it? How did it go from making computers that made a difference but not much of a dent in the overall market to creating a device (the iPod) and a music service (iTunes) that has changed the way we buy and experience music? And how did the Macintosh and its successors capture the hearts and minds of computer users so deeply that being a Mac person makes you a member of a special club? That's what this book is all about.As author Jason D. O'Grady shows, Apple is a rare company-one that is not afraid to think about a future that does not exist and turn it into reality. Critics have written Apple off time and again, yet it rises from the ashes to astound the critics and delight its customers. That's not luck or happenstance-it's vision, dedication, and persistence. Besides delighting Apple aficionados, this book will inspire students eager to launch a business career or work in the technology sector. Apple has never been afraid to chart its own path, and readers will learn what makes the company tick.

It's the American dream-start a company, make a fortune, and retire early. But to become multimillionaires in their twenties, as Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin did, boggles the mind. All they did, after all, is come up with a better way to search for things on the Internet, right? Only in part. No company achieves a market value in the range of $172 billion (in early 2008) based on a single good idea. This new entry in the Corporations That Changed the World series shows how Google exploited the rage for click through ads, instant news, mapping and satellite imagery, email, and more to create a high-tech behemoth that has done nothing less than change the way we work and live.Chapters in the book: * Explain the importance of the company and the essential disruptions it introduced that changed business forever. -Detail Google's origins and brief history* Present biographies of the founders and the historical context in which they launched the company. -Explain Google's strategies and innovations* Show how Google's treatment of employees-food for free, concierge services, laundry facilities, and more-set the bar high for any company eager to attract the best and brightest* Assess Google's impact on society, technology, processes, methods, etc. (Huge, considering that the company's name has become a verb in the English language!)* Show how Google beat Yahoo and other companies working hard to create a roadmap of the Internet. -Detail financial results over the years* Predict Google's future prospects and successes. In addition, author Virginia Scott offers special features that include a look at the colorful people associated with Google, interesting trivia, ethical issues and controversies, a focus on products, what its detractors have to say, and a look at where the company is headed. Google-a company that changed, and is changing, the world.

It's 1901 and a guy named Harley has an idea. Put an engine on a bicycle. What? Outside his door, carts are still pulled by horses and autos are a rare sight. It's 1908 and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle sets a record by getting 188 miles to a gallon of gas. It's 1909 and the company introduces something new to its line: a V-twin cylinder engine. Fast forward to the 21st century, and the technical innovation hasn't stopped. But there's a lot more than just choppers in the mix. Examples: The Harley-Davidson racing team adds a seventeen-year-old girl to the roster. 250,000 people help celebrate Harley's 100th anniversary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And a museum devoted to the company's products opens up. Clearly, this is a company unlike any other.How did Harley do it? How did it go from making motorcycles to creating a Harley experience that puts hundreds of thousands of people aged sixteen to one hundred on the road traveling to events each year where they can meet company officials and other Harley riders? That's what this book is all about. In addition, the author offers special features that include a look at the colorful people associated with Harley, interesting trivia, a Harley-Davidson time line, a focus on products, a look at how the company treats its workers, what its detractors have to say, and where the company is headed.Honda may match Harley-Davidson for quality and perhaps innovation, but no one has matched the company for its ability to create 'buzz marketing' and turn casual riders into unofficial sales people. Harley-Davidson, it turns out, isn't just in the motorcycle business. As its mission statement points out, it's in the business of fulfilling dreams. This book documents how Harley-Davidson is a rare company in other ways: Its loyal workforce, for one thing, is guided by principles like trust and respect for the individual. For another, the company has made a superb effort to keep jobs in the United States, when it would be far cheaper and easier to use offshore labor. Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy in the early 1980s, Harley has roared back to capture the hearts of riders the world over, including the million-plus members of the Harley Owners Group (members are known, naturally, as HOGs). Harley-Davidson-a company that changed, and is changing, the world.