Synopses & Reviews
How They Blew It is about people who did something remarkable: they all built huge business empires worth millions, if not billions. Then they all did something unbelievable: they managed to lose it.
How They Blew It tells the story of 16 business leaders who went from paramount success to abject failure, resulting in the collapse of some of the world's most famous and supposedly successful businesses. Full of surprising details and mind-blowing sums of money, it looks at the characteristics of these leaders and the fine line between hero and zero.
This book isn't a turgid or forensic examination of the rights and wrongs of each case; rather, it seeks to get into the minds of the people behind the business disasters and ask, “Why on earth did they do that?” It pin-points pitfalls and highlights destructive personality traits, helping readers avoid making similar mistakes. From mega US corporate catastrophes, such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, WorldCom and Enron, to UK, European, Russian and Chinese business disasters, this book looks at the people, the passion and ego at the heart of entrepreneurship.
Review
"[A] fresh take on self-help." - Management Today
Review
"Jamie Oliver has a wonderful turn of phrase and that rare ability to bring business to life." - Richard Tyler, The Daily Telegraph
Review
"Oliver and Goodwin take us on an enthralling journey to the dark side of business achievement." -
Matthew Rock, Managing Editor of
Real Business"...people are fascinated by other people's troubles...It is precisely this fascination that makes reading How They Blew It by Jamie Oliver and Tony Goodwin so alluring. But this book is more than mere voyeurism in that Oliver and Goodwin use these vignettes as instruction for other entrepreneurs in how to avoid disaster. ...a readable, well-referenced enticement to those who are in business or who are contemplating a business venture." -ForeWord Reviews
Synopsis
How They Blew It is a series of eye-popping tales of entrepreneurs and business leaders who went from corporate gurus to financial disaster zones in rapid and humiliating fashion. Full of surprising details and mind-blowing sums of money, it looks at the characteristics of these leaders and the fine line between hero and zero.How They Blew It is about the people at the heart of these business catastrophes. It is about what drives them to succeed and then to fail. It is a compelling examination of the rights and wrongs of each case and it seeks to get into the minds of the people behind the business disasters and ask Why the hell did they do that? By examining how business ventures can go so badly wrong, you can learn to avoid those mistakes in the first place.
Synopsis
How They Blew It tells the story of 16 business leaders who went from paramount success to abject failure, resulting in the collapse of some of the world's most famous and supposedly successful businesses. Full of surprising details, and mind-blowing sums of money, it looks at the characteristics of these leaders and the fine line between hero and zero.
About the Author
Jamie Oliver has over 15 years experience as a freelance journalist writing about business topics and entrepreneurs. Currently he writes for the Financial Times.Tony Goodwin runs the international recruitment business Antal and is one of the UK's most successful business service entrepreneurs.
Table of Contents
About the Authors Introduction
Bernie Ebbers - Chosen?
Christopher Foster - Deadly Intent
Mikhail Khodorkovsky - Stitch Up
Jόn Ásqeir Jόhannesson - Rock Star
Reuben Singh - All That Glitters
Tim Power - More Than He Could Chew
Dick Fuld - King Kong
Guy Naggar and Peter Klimpt - The Art of Money
Adolf Merckle - One Step Too Far
Boris Berezovsky - Exile
Zhou Zhengyi - Power Politics
Mark Goldbery - Paying the Penalty
Ken Lay - Friends in High Places
Kevin Leech - How to Blow a Billion
James Cayne - A Bridge Too Far
Robert Tchenguiz - Credit Crunched
Conclusion
Index