{"title":"David Thomas","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e offers insightful perspectives on the intersection of leadership, management, and organisational culture. His works, including \u003cem\u003eThe Fairfax Way\u003c\/em\u003e, explore how values and strategic vision shape successful enterprises and inspire effective teams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRooted in practical experience and thoughtful analysis, Thomas's books provide valuable guidance for anyone interested in business innovation and educational leadership. Readers can expect clear, compelling reflections on nurturing growth within both corporate and academic settings.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-fairfax-way-by-david-thomas-9781037802195","title":"The Fairfax Way","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rise and stall—and rise again—of corporate Canada's least well-known spectacular success.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEven those who have heard of Prem Watsa and Fairfax Financial probably don't understand them. The company sprawls across more than 100 countries and is known for its complex finances—so complex, they once attracted a who's-who of Wall Street short sellers who misread the company as the next Enron and decided it could be profitably pushed into an open grave. The hedge funds even had Bob Dylan lined up to sing at the company's funeral party. Fairfax stared down regulators and fought back. Dylan never got the chance to sing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWatsa, now 75, stole a page from Warren Buffett in building a $45 billion global empire built on value investing and insurance assets. Its bold and creative trades are legendary, often moving against the herd and making billions while others lose their shirts. These days, the company is back winning billion-dollar bets, but away from the headlines. \u003cem\u003eThe Fairfax Way\u003c\/em\u003e explores the lessons learned and why skies are now blue above a transformed company.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn its 39-year history, Fairfax's annual compound return of 19.2% trounces the S\u0026amp;P 500's 11.3%. Lately, it is outperforming even Silicon Valley tech stocks and winning back an investor following. It's time to get to know Fairfax better. The company's holdings include strategic investments like Bauer hockey sticks, William Ashley wedding gifts, Sleep Country mattresses, Golf Town stores, and Seaspan container ships. If you took home Swiss Chalet chicken last week or went for steak at the Keg, you ate at Fairfax restaurants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt's time to get to know Prem Watsa better, too. People long misjudged him as a recluse. Truth is, he simply always wanted to build a business, not talk to the media. After 40 years, he and his executives have finally decided it's a good time to open up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor all the colourful dealmaking, billion-dollar bets, high-stakes hedge fund wars, Thomas reveals an inspiring story for our current troubled times. What emerges is that many people just had trouble believing Fairfax had the audacity to build a company culture based on the golden rule—treat others as you would have them treat you. \u003cem\u003eThe Fairfax Way\u003c\/em\u003e captures the inside story of how a culture of treating people right can be a secret competitive moat to long-term outperformance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47471772041452,"sku":"9781037802195","price":70.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781037802195-the-fairfax-way.jpg?v=1775253231"},{"product_id":"the-silence-of-the-archive-by-david-thomas-9781783301553","title":"The Silence of the Archive","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn recent years, big data initiatives, not to mention Hollywood, the video game industry and countless other popular media, have reinforced and even glamourised the public image of the archive as the ultimate repository of facts and the hope of future generations for uncovering ‘what actually happened’. The reality is, however, that for all sorts of reasons, the record may not have been preserved or survived in the archive. In fact, the record may never have even existed – its creation being as imagined as is its contents. And even if it does exist, it may be silent on the salient facts, or it may obfuscate, mislead or flat out lie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Silence of the Archive\u003c\/i\u003e is written by three expert and knowledgeable archivists and draws attention to the many limitations of archives and the inevitability of their having parameters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSilences or gaps in archives range from details of individuals’ lives to records of state oppression or of intelligence operations. The book brings together ideas from a wide range of fields, including contemporary history, family history research and Shakespearian studies. It describes why these silences exist, what the impact of them is, how researchers have responded to them, and what the silence of the archive means for researchers in the digital age. It will help provide a framework and context to their activities and enable them to better evaluate archives in a post-truth society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis book includes discussion of:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eenforced silences\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eexpectations and when silence means silence\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003edigital preservation, authenticity and the future\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003edealing with the silence\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003epossible solutions; challenging silence and acceptance\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003ethe meaning of the silences: are things getting better or worse?\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003euser satisfaction and audience development\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis book will make compelling reading for professional archivists, records managers and records creators, postgraduate and undergraduate students of history, archives, librarianship and information studies, as well as academics and other users of archives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47608170774764,"sku":"9781783301553","price":165.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781783301553-the-silence-of-the-archive.jpg?v=1778187317"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/david-thomas.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}