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G. A. Roberts

Distant Force: A Memoir of the Teledyne Corporation and the Man Who Created It Hardcover – Print + CD, January 1, 2007

by George A. Roberts (Author), Robert J. McVicker (Collaborator)

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Dr. Roberts searched his archive of corporate documents - shareholder financieal reports, records of management and board meetings, letters, drafts of speeches, the copious notes that he personally kept during his tenure as president and later CEO, as well as his own memory - to construct this memoir. He describes the first decade of aggressive acquisitions and diversification; Henry's reasons for adding financial institutions to his highly technical mix; his controversial program of aggressive stock buy-backs; the spin-off to shareholders of certain entities which greatly broadened their flexibility in handling their investments (many of which still provide income today); and finally the difficult days of whistle blower suits, hostile takeover atttempts, and the finally friendly merger with Allegheny Steel Company.

Bob McVicker, who assisted Dr. Roberts in the production of this volume, worked in Teledyne's corporate public relations office from 1969 to 1979 where he wrote and procduced the quarterly shareholders' magazine Teledyne Report, after which he continued to write the tutorial articles for this publication on a freelance basis into the early 1990's. These stories, which were intended to give the non-technical shareholder an understanding of the company's sometimes arcane technologies, are available on the CD enclosed with this volume.

Print length

316 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Teledyne Corporation
Publication date

January 1, 2007
ISBN-10

097913630X
ISBN-13

978-0979136306
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Teledyne Corporation; 1st edition (January 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 316 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 097913630X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0979136306
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #2,153,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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PJ

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 17, 2015

Verified Purchase

I gave it as a gift and they liked it.

One person found this helpful

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MLien

Great book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 10, 2014

Verified Purchase

It is a well-researched book about a forgotten individual who had a tremendous impact upon technology and society in general.

4 people found this helpful

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JS

Tele = Distant, Dyne = Force

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 29, 2016

I bought and read this book in an attempt to better understand Henry Singleton, a now lesser known yet incredibly astute businessman in his time. It was not an easy read because the author explains in detail the myriad and complex interests that Teledyne pursued. Picking a page at random, I find the following in the first sentence: " Our thermoluminescent dosimetry devices monitored the radiation exposure of personnel, and we provided precise analyses of nuclear fuel materials at all stages of their use". The book is packed with lines like this. At times it was sort of a blow by blow account of all that Teledyne did.

With that caveat out of the way, I took a lot out of "Distant Force". I believe this book has more information on Henry Singleton than any other. I have read "The Outsiders" - also good - but this has more meat and insights not found elsewhere. For example, did you know Singleton was an early investor in Apple? Or that "Family, Teledyne and Property" were the three major loves of Singleton's life (He never sold a house in which he lived and always held on to company real estate.)

You learn a lot about decentralisation - how Teledyne thought about getting the right people, making "bets on the men who seem to be performers", and giving responsibility to local managers. There is a lot on the personal side - how he thought about strategy and why Teledyne was structured the way it was. He wasn't just a financial guy, as mathematically minded as he was.

The pace of growth was astonishing. In the tenth year of business (1969), shareholder equity had grown at a compound annual rate of 94%, total assets 100% and EPS 72%. There is detail on how he bought in stock, to the benefit of all continuing shareholders. From 72' - 84', 90% of Teledyne stock was retired.

This book also dispels the "genius with a thousand helpers" commentary in a book from the popular author Jim Collins. Teledyne was not the same without Singleton but including spin offs the stock market return after his death was impressive.

Finally, there are some fascinating Singleton eulogies, including one from Arthur Rock. He says of Singleton: "He has a singleness of purpose and tenacity that is just overpowering... yes he is rather aloof, operating more or less by himself and dreaming up ideas in his corner office."

So, if you can wade through the technical detail, you will find this book well worth it to learn about Henry Singleton. If you want something less taxing, I recommend "The Outsiders" or look for "Distant Force" at the local library.

10 people found this helpful

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Traston

Check it in your local library...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 26, 2014

Although the book contains a lot of details on history of the corporation, it does not give enough detail on the strategic choices that Singleton took. Overall, if you can, grab the book in your local library but dont pay big money for used copies, its just not worth it. You better read The outsiders ceos by Thorndike it gives you everything you need on Singleton.

10 people found this helpful

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Thomas Ince

A rare gem

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 24, 2013

Singelton has created a path that any wise entrepreneur can follow. Haven't put it down since I got it. A+

7 people found this helpful

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