The Seven-Day Weekend - Ricardo Semler

Everyone knows how to work long hours and take work home at the weekend. But few know how to go to the movies on Monday afternoon. Ricardo Semler knows. He explains how he transformed a small family business into a highly profitable manufacturing, services and high-tech powerhouse - 40x it's original size - while watching his favourite movies or relaxing with his son in the middle of the day.

He found the elusive 'balance' between work and personal life, for himself and his 2000 employees. He replaced old habits with new architechure.

The results: inordinate success for 20 years, practically non-existent staff turnover, and an organization that covers an enormous range of business activity, from machinery to environmental consulting, and from real estate advisory services to new business start-ups, smoothly and coherently.

Any organisation can emulate Semco. Any empolyee can enjoy his job just as Semler and his people do. Semler proves this with stories drawn from day to day operations at Semco.