Michael O'Leary


Book Description

Financial Times Business Book of the Month September 2017. Ryanair cancels over 700,000 bookings and its powerful PR juggernaut comes shuddering to a halt. For once, the airline's aggressive and flamboyant CEO, Michael O'Leary, is contrite and apologetic. A month later Ryanair announces increased passenger traffic for October, year-on-year growth and increased profits. Its share price soars. For the moment, it appears, a fundamental shake-up of Europe's biggest airline is off the table. But questions remain about the causes of the debacle and O'Leary's role in it. Michael O'Leary lifts the veil on the wildly successful and wildly controversial Ryanair CEO. Based on extensive research - including with close associates of O'Leary - the book examines O'Leary's personality, beliefs and obsessions and describes how these have moulded the business he runs. Written by a multi-award-winning journalist and broadcaster, with a thirty-year career covering business and current affairs, it is a fascinating insight into the business behind the man, and the man behind the business. 'Fascinating book ... very comprehensive' Eamon Dunphy, The Stand 'An indispensable guide for anyone who wants to understand not just where Michael O'Leary and Ryanair are coming from, but where they are going.' Sunday Business Post 'A frequently enlightening unauthorised biography ... entertaining' Irish Independent 'In a world of colourless corporate leaders, Ryanair's aggressive, mouthy chief executive provides catnip for journalists. Cooper, an award-winning Irish writer and reporter, makes the most of the opportunity to dissect his colourful subject' Book of the Month, The Financial Times




Michael O'Leary


Book Description

Michael O'Leary is a business giant. He transformed Ryanair from a loss-making joke of an Irish carrier into one of the most valuable airlines in the world, and in the process he has revolutionized the very nature of commercial aviation. In this, the first biography of O'Leary, Alan Ruddock portrays the man in three dimensions and examines the business miracle - often talked about but poorly understood - that O'Leary has wrought. 'Ruddock's fast-paced retelling of Ryanair's rise and rise confirms O'Leary's insistence that his success has little to do with the management maxims of business gurus and everything to do with graft and ruthless attention to detail' Observer 'Probably the definitive Ryanair story ... a good read' Sunday Independent 'The fullest and most accurate picture of O'Leary to date' Irish Daily Mail 'Unlike previous books which simply chart the growth of the airline, this one is bound to get under O'Leary's skin because it reveals a great deal about his hugely driven character' Irish Independent 'Ruddock is good on the flavour of the man, a bundle of energy whose two favourite words start with an F and an S (they aren't flower and sugar)' Irish Examiner




Accountable


Book Description

“More than ever before, this is the book our economy needs.” – Dr. Rajiv Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation “Unwilling to settle for easy answers or superficial changes, O’Leary and Valdmanis push us all to ask more of our economic system.” – Senator Michael F. Bennet This provocative book takes us inside the fight to save capitalism from itself. Corporations are broken, reflecting no purpose deeper than profit. But the tools we are relying on to fix them—corporate social responsibility, divestment, impact investing, and government control—risk making our problems worse. With lively storytelling and careful analysis, O’Leary and Valdmanis cut through the tired dogma of current economic thinking to reveal a hopeful truth: If we can make our corporations accountable to a deeper purpose, we can make capitalism both prosperous and good. What happens when the sustainability-driven CEO of Unilever takes on the efficiency-obsessed Warren Buffett? Does Kellogg’s—a company founded to serve a healthy breakfast—have a sacred duty to sell sugary cereal if that’s what maximizes profit? For decades, government has tried to curb CEO pay but failed. Why? Can Harvard students force the university to divest from oil and gas? Does it even matter if they do? O’Leary and Valdmanis, two iconoclastic investors, take us on a fast-paced insider’s journey that will change the way we look at corporations. Likely to spark controversy among cynics and dreamers alike, this book is essential reading for anyone with a stake in reforming capitalism—which means all of us.




Plane Speaking


Book Description

On airline security: ‘We are not going to die at the hands of toiletries.’On popularity: ‘I don’t give a shite if nobody likes me.’On customer service: ‘Are we going to apologise if something goes wrong? No, we’re f***ing not.’Refunds? ‘You can’t have one, so f*** off’. Airport operators? ‘Overcharging rapists’. The European Commission? ‘Communists’. Travel agents? ‘Fuckers’. Some might call it radical, ruthless business logic; others, the foulmouthed abuse of a shameless gobshite. Whatever: Michael O’Leary, the shrinking violet who is Chief Executive of the awesomely successful low-cost airline Ryanair, has made it his business to offer you his opinion on everything, even if it often makes you wish you hadn’t asked. Now, here is the very baddest of his collected wit and wisdom, on everything from the possibility of charging passengers for going to the loo on his planes to his Aunty-f***ing-Mavis. We may hate him when we end up being charged forty quid for a flight we thought we were getting for a penny, but who can fail to be mesmerised, enlightened or just laugh out loud at some of the stuff that issues relentlessly from the man’s lips?Paul Kilduff is the author of the bestselling Ruinair (2008) and four novels. He lives in Ireland.




Ryanair


Book Description

Just a few years ago, Ryanair was a tiny, impoverished airline competing unsuccessfully with Aer Lingus. In 2003, the company was worth more than British Airways. This is the updated story of its meteoric rise, told by both the people who have served the company and also through the eyes of major rivals.




Linear Algebra


Book Description

LINEAR ALGEBRA EXPLORE A COMPREHENSIVE INTRODUCTORY TEXT IN LINEAR ALGEBRA WITH COMPELLING SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, INCLUDING A COMPANION WEBSITE AND SOLUTIONS MANUALS Linear Algebra delivers a fulsome exploration of the central concepts in linear algebra, including multidimensional spaces, linear transformations, matrices, matrix algebra, determinants, vector spaces, subspaces, linear independence, basis, inner products, and eigenvectors. While the text provides challenging problems that engage readers in the mathematical theory of linear algebra, it is written in an accessible and simple-to-grasp fashion appropriate for junior undergraduate students. An emphasis on logic, set theory, and functions exists throughout the book, and these topics are introduced early to provide students with a foundation from which to attack the rest of the material in the text. Linear Algebra includes accompanying material in the form of a companion website that features solutions manuals for students and instructors. Finally, the concluding chapter in the book includes discussions of advanced topics like generalized eigenvectors, Schur’s Lemma, Jordan canonical form, and quadratic forms. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to logic and set theory, as well as descriptions of functions and linear transformations An exploration of Euclidean spaces and linear transformations between Euclidean spaces, including vectors, vector algebra, orthogonality, the standard matrix, Gauss-Jordan elimination, inverses, and determinants Discussions of abstract vector spaces, including subspaces, linear independence, dimension, and change of basis A treatment on defining geometries on vector spaces, including the Gram-Schmidt process Perfect for undergraduate students taking their first course in the subject matter, Linear Algebra will also earn a place in the libraries of researchers in computer science or statistics seeking an accessible and practical foundation in linear algebra.




On Fire


Book Description

In the bestselling tradition of Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly and Nick Vujicic’s Life Without Limits comes a rousing 7-step plan for living a life on fire, filled with hope and possibility—from an inspirational speaker who survived a near-fatal fire at the age of nine and now runs a successful business inspiring people all around the world. When John O’Leary was nine years old, he was almost killed in a devastating house fire. With burns on one hundred percent of his body, O’Leary mustered an almost unimaginable amount of inner strength just to survive the ordeal. The insights he gained through this experience and the heroes who stepped into his life to help him through the journey—his family, the medical staff, and total strangers—changed his life. Now he is committed to living life to the fullest and inspiring others to do the same. An incredible and emotionally honest account of triumph over tragedy, On Fire contains O’Leary’s reflections on being that little boy, the life-giving choices made then, and the resulting lessons he learned. O’Leary very clearly shares that without the right people providing the right guidance, at the right time, he never would have made it through those five months in the hospital, let alone the years that followed as he struggled to regain mobility, embrace his story, and ignite clarity of his life’s purpose. On Fire encourages us to seize the power to choose our path and transform our lives from mundane to extraordinary. Once we stop thinking solely on the big moments in our lives, we can begin to focus on those smaller opportunities that tend to pass us by. These are the events—the inflection points in our lives—that can determine how we feel about life now, where we are headed in the future, and how many lives we can impact along the way. We can’t always choose the path we walk, but we can choose how we walk it. Empowering, inspiring, remarkably honest, and heartfelt, O’Leary’s strength and incredible spirit shine through on every page.




A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory


Book Description

A mathematical introduction to the theory and applications of logic and set theory with an emphasis on writing proofs Highlighting the applications and notations of basic mathematical concepts within the framework of logic and set theory, A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory introduces how logic is used to prepare and structure proofs and solve more complex problems. The book begins with propositional logic, including two-column proofs and truth table applications, followed by first-order logic, which provides the structure for writing mathematical proofs. Set theory is then introduced and serves as the basis for defining relations, functions, numbers, mathematical induction, ordinals, and cardinals. The book concludes with a primer on basic model theory with applications to abstract algebra. A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory also includes: Section exercises designed to show the interactions between topics and reinforce the presented ideas and concepts Numerous examples that illustrate theorems and employ basic concepts such as Euclid’s lemma, the Fibonacci sequence, and unique factorization Coverage of important theorems including the well-ordering theorem, completeness theorem, compactness theorem, as well as the theorems of Löwenheim–Skolem, Burali-Forti, Hartogs, Cantor–Schröder–Bernstein, and König An excellent textbook for students studying the foundations of mathematics and mathematical proofs, A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory is also appropriate for readers preparing for careers in mathematics education or computer science. In addition, the book is ideal for introductory courses on mathematical logic and/or set theory and appropriate for upper-undergraduate transition courses with rigorous mathematical reasoning involving algebra, number theory, or analysis.




Verbal Snapshots


Book Description

Verbal snapshots volume 1 begins the saga of a life. Personal reflections, stories and flights of fancy that cover childhood escapades, coming of age, teenage angst, 20 / 30 something madness, fatherhood, divorce, single parenthood, remarriage, teaching special needs, finding contentment in the big picture. It covers nearly seven decades from the 1950's to the present. It is not a linear picture, but rather a random glimpse into our daily memory.




Black Magic


Book Description