The advancement of LGBT rights has occurred through struggles large and small---on the streets, around kitchen tables, and on the Web. Lawsuits have also played a vital role in propelling the movement forward, and behind every case is a human story: a landlord in New York seeks to evict a gay man from his home after his partner of ten years dies of AIDS; school officials in Wisconsin look the other way as a gay teenager is repeatedly and viciously harassed by other students; a lesbian couple appears unexpectedly at a clerk's office in Hawaii seeking a marriage license.

Engaging and largely untold, From the Closet to the Courtroom explores how five pivotal lawsuits have altered LGBT history. Beginning each case narrative at the center---with the litigants and their lawyers---law professor Carlos Ball follows the stories behind each crucial lawsuit. He traces the parties from their communities to the courtroom, while deftly weaving in rich sociohistorical context and analyzing the lasting legal and political impact of each judicial outcome.

Over the last twenty years, no group of attorneys has helped to transform this country more than LGBT rights lawyers, and surprisingly, their collective accomplishments have received relatively little attention. Ball remedies that by exploring how a band of largely unheralded civil rights lawyers have attained remarkable legal victories through skill, creativity, and perseverance.

In this richly layered and multifaceted account, Ball vividly documents how these judicial victories have significantly altered LGBT lives today in ways that were unimaginable only a generation ago.

Richard Koch has made over $100 million from spotting `Star' businesses. In his new book, he shares the secrets of his success - and shows how you too can identify and enrich yourself from Stars.

Star businesses are ventures operating in a high-growth sector - and are the leaders in their niche market. Stars are rare. But with the help of this book and a little patience, you can find one - or create one yourself.

This is a vital book for any budding entrepreneur or investor. It is also invaluable for any ambitious employee who realises the benefits of working for a Star venture - real responsibility, fast personal development, better pay, great bonuses and valuable share options.

Whoever you are, and whatever stage you're at, identifying Stars will make your life sweeter and richer in every way.

C'è un nuovo modo entusiasmante per creare ricchezza. Non sono più l'impresa o il capitale a farla da padroni. Le nuove forze trainanti dell'economia globale sono gli individui creativi e i loro team, artefici di ricchezza e benessere. Questo libro è dedicato a tutti loro, a tutti quegli individui impegnati nel proprio lavoro che aspirano a costruirsi una carriera di successo attraverso una trasformazione radicale del business nel quale operano. Non importa che siano imprenditori con l'ambizione e la capacità di innovare in modo autonomo attraverso una propria società oppure manager con idee vincenti in grado di apportare nuovo valore all'organizzazione nella quale sono inseriti. L'obiettivo primario che Richard Koch si è posto in questo libro, seguito del suo ormai classico Il principio 80/20, è di mostrare come tale principio, se opportunamente applicato attraverso un metodo step-by-step, possa ridefinire e potenziare l'attività di business e il percorso di carriera di singoli e/o gruppi di individui. Il mondo sta cambiando e il principio 80/20 è uno strumento pratico di emancipazione sorprendentemente potente, che permette alle persone di realizzare grandi progetti, come dimostrano i numerosi casi, attinti dalla personale esperienza dell'autore di consulente e grande creatore di imprese, sui quali il volume si sofferma per ricostruirne la storia e i motivi del successo.

A new, 10th anniversary edition of the business classic, which has sold over 500,000 copies. Contains a brand new chapter, }The Yin & Yang Of The Principle{, in which Koch responds to the thousands of reader responses to the book.

Per avere successo nel mondo imprenditoriale serve una strategia di successo. Sembra la cosa più ovvia che si possa immaginare. Eppure la strada è spesso lastricata di fraintendimenti e coloro che intendono chiarirsi le idee si scontrano con il gergo oscuro e talvolta incomprensibile di teorici vaghi e fumosi. Richard Koch, con uno stile discorsivo, spiega quali sono le domande da fare e le risposte da fornire. Senza inutili complicazioni confeziona un guida pratica che parla di strategia a livello corporate e a livello di business unit in modo operativo.

he West has become more successful than any other civilisation because of its distinctive ideas. Now that many Westerners have abandoned or undermoned those ideas, Western civilisation is deeply challenged. This fascinating and procative book

Are you responsible for devising the strategy for your business unit? Want to make sure you have a smart, achievable and effective strategy but not sure where to start? This book gives you strategy in a nutshell. Everything you need to know to assess your business unit and build an effective strategy for future profitability is here. The core of the book is a step-by-step guide to strategy that coaches the reader through key questions such as:

* How do you increase profits quickly?

* Who are we and what do we do?

* How good is your competitive position?

* Is this a good industry to be in?

* What do your customers think?

* How do you organize and realize your new strategy?

There is no wallowing around in abstract theory: this is a highly practical guide to developing real strategy. Two business cases, with all the complicated nitty gritty of the real world, are threaded through the text to bring the concepts and techniques discussed to life. The first follows the voyage of strategy development and discovery taken by a large American tea company; the second describes a globally operating manufacturing business which carries out a so-called 'bottom-up' business analysis.

To further enhance the book's application potential, it can be used in conjunction with a specially-developed and customisable software that allows you to generate information and graphs from your own business data - samples of this are available free to readers on the book's companion website.

A new 21st century individualism is overtaking “corporation-as-king” capitalism, transforming the way we work and live. Today, real power rests in the hands of creative individuals like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg, who are changing the world one great idea at a time. In THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL, Richard Koch reveals the secret of their success: they discovered what they do better than anyone else and rode it for all its worth.

In this inspiring sequel to his classic bestseller THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE, Koch shows how to maximize success in your career and life by using the proven principle that 80 percent of changes in the world result from the most powerful 20 percent of actions and ideas. He'll show how to use your own powerful “20 percent spike” – your most creative ideas and unique skills – to measure the amount of value you bring to your employer, clients or customers. For most people, there is a huge disparity between their intrinsic value and the compensation they receive for their efforts. THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL shows how to narrow that gap.

Drawing from his own success as an entrepreneur, as well as from the stories of scores of companies and individuals who have flourished as a result of an 80/20 mind-set, Koch offers a step-by-step method to remodeling a career or existing business, or creating a new one – one that most benefits you. He provides valuable insights on finding 80/20 partners, hiring 80/20 employees, and running an 80/20 business.

By building a team that supports your efforts and excels in areas where you lack experience or knowledge, you'll be able to focus your time and energy on your strengths. Productivity and profits will soar because you'll be doing what you do best and enjoy the most. By using the 80/20 strategies outlined in the book, you can take control of your career and financial future.

'One of the best books on stock market investing that I've ever read...Richard Koch delivers the goods.' Christopher Gilchrist, Editor, }The IRS Report{

How anyone can be more effective with less effort by learning how to identify and leverage the 80/20 principle--the well-known, unpublicized secret that 80 percent of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20 percent of our efforts.

The 80/20 principle is one of the great secrets of highly effective people and organizations.

Did you know, for example, that 20 percent of customers account for 80 percent of revenues? That 20 percent of our time accounts for 80 percent of the work we accomplish? The 80/20 Principle shows how we can achieve much more with much less effort, time, and resources, simply by identifying and focusing our efforts on the 20 percent that really counts. Although the 80/20 principle has long influenced today's business world, author Richard Koch reveals how the principle works and shows how we can use it in a systematic and practical way to vastly increase our effectiveness, and improve our careers and our companies.

The unspoken corollary to the 80/20 principle is that little of what we spend our time on actually counts. But by concentrating on those things that do, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20 percent, and transform our effectiveness in our jobs, our careers, our businesses, and our lives.