Andrew White Bücher

This in-depth account reveals how a leading corporation revitalized its corporate training organization during a global economic downturn and significant market changes. By prioritizing the "return on learning," the company strategically managed its investments in learning and knowledge management to achieve measurable business advantages. Facing challenges typical of the early 2000s, the organization transformed its internal training program, which supports over 126,000 employees across 48 countries. In just a few years, it reinvented its training and development capabilities through effective planning, strong leadership, innovative ROI methods, operational rigor, and advanced technologies, alongside what the learning team termed "phenomenal learning." This approach led to improved learning programs that delivered greater business impact at reduced costs. The veterans sharing this story provide insights into the company's operations and decision-making processes, offering valuable lessons for other professionals and organizations aiming to leverage training for high performance. Key contributors include Donald Vanthournout, chief learning officer, along with Kurt Olson, John Ceisel, Andrew White, Tad Waddington, Thomas Barfield, Samir Desai, and Craig Mindrum, all affiliated with the corporation.

This lively chronicle in a bilingual edition details the characters, settings and events of the 17th-century expedition resulting in the founding of the Maryland colony. It is a significant document in the classical tradition of the English colonies in North America.