A manager’s instinct is to strive to control everything. That’s not just ineffective, it’s a practical impossibility. So, where should managers commit finite resources to achieve their enterprise’s mission? Eli Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints (“TOC”), introduced in The Goal, is a great place to start, but a terrible place to stop, as most readers can’t put that knowledge to use.Constraints hold organizations in check. Without them, productivity would be easy, and companies...

“There is no doubt that this is a truly original and groundbreaking work in applying the Theory of Constraints. I run a services company and learned some things about the services business. Anyone involved in large services companies needs to look at what John is proposing. I will definitely quote this material frequently.”Chad Smith, Managing Partner, Constraints Management Group“The information presented in this book is badly needed by service providers ...

Jim Rickett kept a diary of his work as a family doctor during the blitz of 1940/41. His work as a surgeon at the local hospital in Emsworth was acceptable and routine at the time, but is now unthinkable by modern standards. His practice was near Portsmouth which was targeted in regular bombing raids. He tells a compelling story as the bombing intensified in 1941 putting the local area under intense stress. He was called up into the Army and in 1944 he received an urgent posting to join th...

The First World War was a war fought on a global scale: so terrible and deadly that they called it "the war to end all wars". From foot soldiers drowning in mud to fighter pilots being blown out of the sky, if you like your history horrible this is the book for you!

A British infantryman shares his harrowing story of life on the frontlines of WWII, from the North African Campaign to the invasion of Germany.In April 1939, when Bill Cheall joined the famous Yorkshire infantry regiment known as the Green Howards, he could not have imagined the drama, trauma, rewards and anguish that awaited him. But he recounts it all here, in this vivid memoir of service and courage under fire.As a Green Howard, Cheall was on the receivin...

Captivity, Slavery and Survival as a Far East POW is the incredibly moving story of Gus Anckorn, a British soldier who was captured by the Japanese and held for over three and a half years. Before the war, Gus was a magician and throughout the war, entertained both fellow soldiers and Japanese guards with his tricks.Gus has a brilliant sense of humor and a 'tell it as it is' attitude which got him into a number of scrapes with both the Japanese and his own side. He has a remarkable humilit...

Women in the Second World War explores the experiences of women who served in the armed forces, or complimentary services. Using interviews, anecdotes, memoirs and/or accounts from the women (or, where appropriate, their children), the book tells the women's personal accounts of what their lives were like and what particular experiences they had while serving. They were all ordinary British women, and tell here in their own words their experiences on active service. Their accounts...

A "fascinating" look at hardship, heroism, and civilian life in England during the Great War ( World War One Illustrated).The truth about the sacrifice and suffering among British civilians during World War I is rarely discussed. In this book, people who were there speak about experiences and events that have remained buried for decades.Their testimony shows the same candor and courage we have become accustomed to hearing from military veterans of ...

Groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed, Tommy is the first history of World War I to place the British soldier who fought in the trenches centre-stage.Tommy tells the story of an epic and terrible war through the letters, diaries and memories of those who fought it. Epitomised by the character of Sgt Tommy Atkins, Richard Holmes portrays the strength and fallibility of the human spirit, the individuals behind the epic conflict, and their legacy.

The remarkable true story of the Queen Alexandra frontline nurses in the Second World War.The amazing experiences of the Queen Alexandra nurses in the Second World War form one of the greatest adventure stories of modern times, and - incredibly - remain largely untold. Thousands of middle-class girls, barely out of school, were plucked from sheltered backgrounds, subjected to training regimes unimaginably tough by today's standards, and sent forth to share the hars...

This is the memoir of a young mother struggling to feed, clothe and house her family on "the most bombed island on earth" — Malta, during World War II.Written by two generations of eye-witnesses to the destruction wrought on the strategically vital island of Malta by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.The book contains extensive additional historical information researched from a huge number of sources about wartime Malta. This book contains an extensive annotated bibliography ...

A World War II memoir of a clerk who put down his pen and took up a weapon, rising through the ranks to become an elite Special Air Service soldier.Roy Close's wartime experiences make breathtaking reading. Mobilized in 1939 he became part of the BEF and was fortunate to avoid death or captivity during the German blitzkrieg and escape through Dunkirk. Sent to North Africa, he joined the Paras and, from there, to the SAS. In 1944 he operated behind enemy lines with t...