Böcker av Alan Mann

For nearly 20 years the National Physical Laboratory was operated on behalf of government by NPL Management Limited, a private company formed in 1995 specifically for that purpose. As Finance Director for almost the entire period, Alan Mann charts its transformation from a government agency to a thriving commercial business whilst at the same time protecting its scientific integrity and standing as one of the top three metrology institutes in the world.This could not have been achieved without a common understanding of shared values encapsulated in a document - 'partnering in practice' which remains as relevant today as it did then.His story describes how, through a period of government changes, political intrigue, economic upheaval and decant of operations from 82 buildings to a new state-of-the-art laboratory, it still emerged as a stronger and fitter organisation. It discusses the fundamentals that supported this sometimes uncomfortable cultural shift and how a truly effective partnership can be of significant benefit to government, the private sector and the taxpaying public alike.

The plane crash of 3 February 1959 which claimed the life of Buddy Holly was both a human tragedy, and a tragedy for rock'n'roll. In a little under two years, Holly and his band -- the Crickets -- had become major stars, thanks to their high standard of musicianship and a string of memorable hits including 'That'll Be The Day', 'Rave On', 'Peggy Sue', 'Oh Boy!' and 'Heartbeat', only for their career to be cruelly cut short. After his death, Holly's records continued to sell in quantity for many years -- a testament to his massive influence and the lasting popularity of his music. It may sound strange now, but in those monochrome, pre-Internet days very little was actually known about the singer with the unusual name and the hiccup in his voice -- a situation that persisted until the appearance of John Goldrosen's pioneering biography in 1975. Since then, much more information has been uncovered, thanks to decades of research by dedicated fans. This book draws together a mass of Holly facts and info from a variety of published sources, as well as the author's own original research, and presents them in an easy-to-use encyclopaedic format. Now in its third edition, it has proved to be a popular and valuable reference work on this seminal rock'n'roller. This is a book that every Holly fan will want to keep at his fingertips. A book about a musical genius who will never be forgotten.