New Releases by Gerry Brown

Why when companies come crashing down, do we hear of boards who have failed in their fiduciary duties? Or that they have been ignorant, complacent or downright complicit in these scandals and downfalls? Of course, corporate scandals are nothing new, nor are they limited to any one geography. They are a damning indictment of our systems of corporate governance around the world. And yet, despite this frequency, little or nothing changes. We shrug and move on, accepting they are an unavoidable part of the system that produces incredible wealth for economies and societies. But it should not be that way. Disaster in the Boardroom shows how boards can be better. Looking at why these scandals happen, authors Peterson and Brown present in-depth case studies of major global corporations – including recent contemporary scandals associated with companies such as BP, Facebook and Uber – using the optic of their unique, original and compelling ‘six dysfunctions of the board’ analysis to reveal their particularities but also how they can be overcome. In this book, Brown and Peterson explore common attributes of scandals such as lack of independence from management, missing key voices, cultural amplification, diffusion of responsibility, rule-bound cultures and groupthink. They also identify ways to strengthen boards, improve their culture and competence, and give directors and others the power to take action and ultimately prevent disasters from happening. Disaster in the Boardroom is essential reading for every executive in every boardroom, those aspiring to board positions as well as anyone interested in why boards fail. It has never been more important to pre-identify and eradicate these boardroom dysfunctions – not least so that their impacts upon society can better seen, understood, mitigated, and avoided.

Are you one of the many people in this world who want to make a difference? What if you could make a real lasting difference to your community and change the lives of thousands? The answer is to become an independent director (ID). Independent directors play a vital role in governing health services, charities, sporting bodies and educational establishments and can be especially effective in times of great change and uncertainty. Not only do they play a crucial role in steering and developing strategy, and managing risk, they are also the key to ensuring accountability. They are the people who ensure these organisations properly serve all of their stakeholders, be it employees, customers or the wider society. They are the real long-term custodians of organisations. Now, more than ever, these organisations are crying out for diverse, committed and engaged independent directors. The demand for impartial input is greater than ever before. There is no better time to step up and make a difference. Gerry Brown’s Making a Difference is the essential guide to becoming an ID, what to expect in that position, and what you can achieve once you are one. This book will inspire you to put yourself forward, take a seat at the table and get involved in organisational change. Democratising independent directorship is a powerful way to help transform policies from within and change things for the better.

Things will always go wrong in organisations. The question is how quickly will they get caught and put right? The problem facing every organisation today – our businesses, universities, health services, or the many other sporting and charitable institutions that shape our society – is that the relationship between their executive management and those whose job it is to oversee them (whether they are called non-executive or independent directors, trustees, or governors) has become unbalanced. The Independent Director in Society shows how to rebalance it. Based on original, in-depth research from Henley Business School, this is the first book to survey and analyse the governance crisis right across society rather than just focus upon the business sector. The authors show that – despite their many differences – all organisations have many issues, behaviours and problems in common. The same problems require, in many cases, the same solutions. Sometimes they don’t. The authors offer two answers. The first lies in the realm of policy. Not a need for more legislation, but a move to give the existing codes of practice back their teeth and make them fit for purpose. The second lies with independent directors themselves. Urgent improvement is needed in standards of thought and action as well as the calibre of these directors. Above all, directors need to develop an independent mindset that will enable them to make better, more accurate decisions. There are many elements to creating this culture, including selection, training and education for directors, and support from chairs and executive teams, but most of all directors themselves must recognise their responsibilities in a complex and volatile world.

For more than ten years, the ESPN Sports Almanac has been the go-to reference for answers to nearly every sports question. From all-time record holders to yearly champions, from auto racing to the Iditarod, from the Australian Open to the Super Bowl—the ESPN Sports Almanac 2009 covers all the bases, with hundreds of photographs, thousands of tables, countless facts and figures, plus expert analysis from ESPN’s most respected commentators. Add fan input from ESPN.com’s SportsNation polls, along with ESPN’s unique blend of irreverence, and this new edition remains the reigning champion among sports information resources. New for 2009: • Full recaps of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and Ryder Cup 2008 • Expanded sections of pro-football records • More in-depth fantasy sports league analysis • Bigger and better coverage of ballparks and arenas, mixed martial arts, and more

For over 10 years, the ESPN Sports Almanac has been the definitive source for answers to most every sports question. From record-holders to champions, auto racing to the Iditarod, ballparks, business news, and Who's Who to the dearly departed athletes of the year past, the ESPN Sports Almanac 2008 tracks them in hundreds of photos, thousands of tables, countless facts and figures, plus expert analysis from ESPN's most popular personalities (Chris Berman, Dan Patrick, Stuart Scott, Mike Golic, Mike Greenberg, Dick Vitale, et al.). Add fan input from ESPN.com's SportsNation polls, along with ESPN's unique brand of humor, and this latest edition will keep the ESPN Sports Almanac the reigning champion and a New York Times best-seller.

Few of us can resist the lure and fascination of a genuine mystery - the unsolved crime, the inexplicable disappearance, strangegifts and powers, the enigmas of past and present. Who was the real Jack the Ripper? Can people have out-of-body experiences? Explore the answers within!

Part of a series of books which examines real-life stories that have made newspaper headlines around the world, this looks at scandals through the 20th Century.

The latest edition of the smartest, most authoritative and bestselling sports almanac in America. Whether they're looking for new world records, updating their trivia knowledge, or curious about the most intriguing sports stories of the past year, sports enthusiasts of all kinds will welcome the latest edition of this incredibly popular almanac, which netted more than 100,000 in sales last year alone. ESPN fans will find many of the network's features here as well as: --In-depth statistics from ESPN's award-winning "Inside the Numbers" team. --"SportsCenter's" Top Ten highlights of each sport. --Exclusive essays and analysis from your favorite ESPN personalities, including Chris Berman, Dan Patrick, Kenny Mayne, and more. --Rule and uniform changes. --Hundreds of photographs. --Thousands of graphics and tables. --Fast access to all the facts: world records, champions, year by year, sport by sport. --Full recap of the World Series, Women's World Cup, and Ryder Cup. The ultimate resource for sports professionals and fans everywhere, the ESPN Information Please(R) Sports Almanac is clearly the winner in its field.

For more than 25 years, Gerry Brown has been an investigative journalist. He broke the Lord Archer and Monica Coghlan story, revealed the Frank Bough sex-and-drugs scandal and unveiled Pamella Bordes as something more than a Parliamentary researcher. This book takes the reader behind the headlines to reveal the truth about Fleet Street reporting. It details how surveillances are set up and carried out, the lengths to which a hack will go to get a story, and the truth about many famous-name cases, told in an accessible and humorous way. The book is an unapologetic defence of tabloid journalism.

Robert Kennedy's 1968 Campaign & Afterwards.

A biography of the statesman tracing his career from his first work as a journalist to his post as a representative to the United Nations.