The Executive’s Almanac is an entertaining collection of facts and figures covering all aspects of business—from the assembly line to the bottom line; from the stock market to the supermarket.
 
A sample of what’s in store:
 
     •  The ratio of the salaries of the average worker to the average CEO is 301 to 1.
     •  As of 2004, 8.3 million people in the world have $1 million to invest, spend, or save.
     •  Blue Chip stocks got their name from poker, where blue chips are more valuable than white or red.
     •  Starbucks was named for the first mate in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick.
     •  The New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol for Mauna Loa is NUT; Men’s Wearhouse is SUIT;
     •  Sotheby’s is BID; and Genentech is DNA.

Eclectic is the word for this small, entertaining reference book, in which Moskowitz, who has spent 50 years in business journalism, compiles facts and foibles of interest to the business-minded reader. Along with "Top Ten" (or "Top Five," or "Top Hundred") lists on subjects as diverse as "U.S. Philanthropists," "CEO Golfers" and "U.S. Stocks You Should Have Bought in 2000," there are odd facts about the movie star who has made the most money in a TV commercial (Nicole Kidman), how companies divided their 2004 political contributions, and numerous profiles of companies and business leaders. These tales are both inspiring and mind-boggling, including such recurring topics as "Fratricides," about family businesses gone sour (the Pritzkers, the Dassler brothers), and "Whatever Happened To" segments on notable companies that have fallen off the radar (Borden, International Harvester). Rounded out by reports on the progress of women in corporations, peaks into industries like wine and pharmaceuticals, plenty of who-owns-whom and a double smattering of pompous business quotes, this is a fine, fun, fascinating little book.
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Milton Moskowitz has been a business journalist for 50 years. He is the bestselling coauthor with Robert Levering of 1984’s The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, and he annually updates Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.