She has said the germ of the idea for the novel was "the notion of transience that hotels are all about, and at the same time the notion of tiered social hierarchies" - with three characters trapped in their class roles.

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Thankfully, a colleague of mine, with a long history of being the boss, told me that the three roles of a CEO are Vision, Team Builder, and Top Salesman.

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Mr Clarke, married with three children, began his Asda career as a store manager in Edinburgh before taking on director roles in frozen food, bakery and produce.

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