Strategy

Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία stratēgia, "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art of the general", which included several subsets of skills including "tactics", siegecraft, logistics etc., the term came into use in the 6th century C.E. in East Roman terminology, and was translated into Western vernacular languages only in the 18th century. From then until the 20th century, the word "strategy" came to denote "a comprehensive way to try to pursue political ends, including the threat or actual use of force, in a dialectic of wills" in a military conflict, in which both adversaries interact.

Strategy is important because the resources available to achieve these goals are usually limited. Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. A strategy describes how the ends (goals) will be achieved by the means (resources). This is generally tasked with determining strategy. Strategy can be intended or can emerge as a pattern of activity as the organization adapts to its environment or competes. It involves activities such as strategic planning and strategic thinking.

Strategy&

Strategy& is a global strategy consulting firm originally established as Booz Allen Hamilton in the United States in 1914 and is now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers, which acquired the former Booz & Co. on April 4, 2014. The firm is active in a broad range of sectors, including Energy, Healthcare, Financial Services, Chemicals, Telecommunications, Automotive, Aerospace, Media, Technology and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

The company has 57 offices around the world. 70 of the world's largest 100 corporations and 400 of the largest 500 US corporations are Strategy& clients and the firm has been involved in a number of important business episodes, including the dawn of the contract system for Hollywood movies, the merger of the National and American football leagues, and the rescue of the Chrysler corporation from bankruptcy. On October 30, 2013, it was announced that PwC would buy and merge with Booz & Company (owned by Booz Allen Hamilton until 2008), including the company's name and its 300 partners, subject to a December vote of the Booz & Company partners. The deal closed on April 4, 2014, and the firm was formally renamed to Strategy&.

Phil Hellmuth

Phillip Jerome Hellmuth, Jr. (born July 16, 1964) is an American professional poker player who has captured a record fourteen World Series of Poker bracelets. He is the winner of the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Main Event of the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), and he is a member of the WSOP's Poker Hall of Fame. Hellmuth is also known for his temperamental "poker brat" personality.

Personal life

Hellmuth was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended Madison West High School before moving on to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for three years, where he dropped out to play poker full-time.

Since 1992, he has lived in Palo Alto, California with his wife Katherine Sanborn (a psychiatrist at Stanford University) and their two sons Philip III and Nicholas.

Tournaments

As of 2016, his total live tournament winnings exceed $19,300,000. He is ranked seventh on the all-time money list. Hellmuth is known for usually taking his seat at poker tournaments long after they begin. On October 18, 2015, Hellmuth is ranked #119 on the Global Poker Index. (He has been ranked as high as #4 in December 2012.)

Annie Duke

Anne LaBarr "Annie" Duke (née Lederer; September 13, 1965) is an American professional poker player and author. She holds a World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet from 2004 and formerly was the leading money winner among women in WSOP history (a title currently held by Vanessa Selbst). Duke won the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2010. She has written a number of instructional books for poker players, including Decide to Play Great Poker and The Middle Zone, and she published her autobiography, How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker, in 2005.

Duke co-founded the non-profit Ante Up for Africa with actor Don Cheadle in 2007, to benefit charities working in African nations, and has raised money for other charities and non-profits through playing in and hosting charitable poker tournaments. She has been involved in advocacy on a number of poker-related issues including advocating for the legality of online gambling and for players' rights to control their own image. Duke was co-founder, executive vice president, and commissioner of the Epic Poker League from 2011-12 which failed in 2012 and is now bankrupt with many investors upset over how it was managed.

Tim Cook

Timothy Donald "Tim" Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive, and is the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Cook joined Apple in March 1998 as senior vice president of worldwide operations—he also served as executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations and was chief operating officer until he was named the CEO of Apple on August 24, 2011, when he succeeded Steve Jobs. He had previously served as acting CEO of Apple after Jobs began medical leave in January 2011. In early 2012, he was awarded compensation of one million shares, vesting in 2016 and 2021, by Apple's board of directors. Cook also serves on the boards of directors of Nike, Inc. and the National Football Foundation. In 2014, Cook became the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to publicly identify as gay.

Early life

Cook was born in Mobile, Alabama, United States, and grew up in nearby Robertsdale. His father, Donald, was a shipyard worker, and his mother, Geraldine, worked at a pharmacy.