Servicesektorn

When the Inter-Continental Hotel opened in Kabul in 1969, it reflected the hopes of the country: a glistening white edifice that embodied Afghanistan's dreams of becoming an affluent, modern power.Five decades later, and the Inter-Continental is a dilapidated, shrapnel-damaged shell. It has endured civil wars, terrorist attacks, the US occupation, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban. But its decaying grandeur still hints at ordinary Afghans' hopes of stability and prosperity.Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, has been staying at the Inter-Continental since 1988. She has spent decades meeting its staff and guests, and listening to their stories. And now, she uses their experiences to offer an evocative history of modern Afghanistan. It is the story of Hazrat, the octogenarian receptionist who for five decades has been witnessing diplomats and journalists, mujahideen and US soldiers, passing through the hotel's doors. It is the story of Abida, the first female chef to work in the Inter-Continental's famous kitchen after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. And it is the story of Sadeq, the 24-year-old front-desk worker who personifies the ambitions of a new generation of Afghans.The result is a remarkably vivid account of how ordinary Afghans have experienced half a century of disorder. It captures the soul of Afghanistan from within the walls of the Kabul Inter-Continental.

Essential lessons in hospitality for every business, from the former co-owner of legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park.Will Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling New York City two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world.How did Guidara pull off this unprecedented transformation? Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room-and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality. Guidara's team surprised a family who had never seen snow with a magical sledding trip to Central Park after their dinner; they filled a private dining room with sand, complete with mai-tais and beach chairs, to console a couple with a cancelled vacation. And his hospitality extended beyond those dining at the restaurant to his own team, who learned to deliver praise and criticism with intention; why the answer to some of the most pernicious business dilemmas is to give more-not less; and the magic that can happen when a busser starts thinking like an owner.Today, every business can choose to be a hospitality business-and we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. Featuring sparkling stories of his journey through restaurants, with the industry's most famous players like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Guidara urges us all to find the magic in what we do-for ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve.

In King of Capital, David Carey and John Morris show how Blackstone (and other private equity firms) transformed themselves from gamblers, hostile-takeover artists, and ‘barbarians at the gate’ into disciplined, risk-conscious investors while the financial establishment—banks and investment bankers such as Citigroup, Bear Stearns, Lehman, UBS, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley—were recklessly assuming risks, leveraging up to astronomical levels and driving the economy to the brink of disaster. Now, not only have Blackstone and a small coterie of competitors wrested control of corporations around the globe, but they have emerged as a major force on Wall Street, challenging the likes of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley for dominance. Insightful and hard-hitting, filled with never-before-revealed details about the workings of a heretofore secretive company that was the personal fiefdom of Schwarzman and Peter Peterson, King of Capital shows how Blackstone and private equity will drive the economy and provide a model for how financing will work in the years to come.

För en stilsäker krönika med hög verkshöjd, utmärkt känsla för tidsepoker och intressanta detaljer. Vinnare av Publishingpriset

Göteborgs hjärta och stolthet, Sveriges mest populära resmål och en av de bästa nöjesparkerna i hela Europa  – det är Liseberg! Den grönskande oasen mitt i stan har erbjudit glädje och eufori i över hundra år. Här berättas parkens stolta historia, årtionde för årtionde, med start i Jubileumsutställningen 1923.

De flesta svenskar har minnen från Liseberg, kanske i form av en hisnande färd i Svingoplan eller FlumeRide eller en oförglömlig konsert med Elton John, Sonya Hedenbratt eller Håkan Hellström. I Liseberg. Glädje tillsammans sedan 1923 får vi möta artisterna och profilerna, till exempel parkens grundare Herman Lindholm, revypappan Sten-Åke Cederhök, varietéartisten Carl-Einar Häckner och allsångsledaren Lotta Engberg.

Massor av spännande fotografier har plockats fram ur arkiven och kompletterats med matnyttiga texter. Här finns allt från fartfyllda karusellbilder och kändisporträtt till gamla affischer och åkpass. Nöjesparkens historia är en berg-och-dalbana  i sig själv och den lekfullt eleganta boken beskriver både toppar och dalar. Vid sidan av människorna lyfts bland annat musiken, trädgården och de unika Lisebergsbyggnaderna fram, liksom förstås attraktionerna – somliga succéer, andra floppar.

Här finns något för alla, såväl den historieintresserade som den som vill uppleva Liseberg hemma i fåtöljen. Ny uppdaterad utgåva, utökad med 2020-talet.

Patrik Källström är Lisebergshistorikern som med stor passion utforskar, vårdar och berättar om nöjesparkens förflutna. Stefan Wern, journalist och kommunikatör, har ett kittlande intresse för berg-och-dalbanor och nöjesparker i allmänhet och sin barndoms Liseberg i synnerhet.