Learn how advances in technology can help curb bank fraud Fraud prevention specialists are grappling with ever-mounting quantities of data, but in today's volatile commercial environment, paying attention to that data is more important than ever. Bank Fraud provides a frank discussion of the attitudes, strategies, and—most importantly—the technology that specialists will need to combat fraud. Fraudulent activity may have increased over the years, but so has the field of data science and the results that can be achieved by applying the right principles, a necessary tool today for financial institutions to protect themselves and their clientele. This resource helps professionals in the financial services industry make the most of data intelligence and uncovers the applicable methods to strengthening defenses against fraudulent behavior. This in-depth treatment of the topic begins with a brief history of fraud detection in banking and definitions of key terms, then discusses the benefits of technology, data sharing, and analysis, along with other in-depth information, including: The challenges of fraud detection in a financial services environment The use of statistics, including effective ways to measure losses per account and ROI by product/initiative The Ten Commandments for tackling fraud and ways to build an effective model for fraud management Bank Fraud offers a compelling narrative that ultimately urges security and fraud prevention professionals to make the most of the data they have so painstakingly gathered. Such professionals shouldn't let their most important intellectual asset—data—go to waste. This book shows you just how to leverage data and the most up-to-date tools, technologies, and methods to thwart fraud at every turn.
"The average life expectancy at «birth» of a firm is roughly 15 years, and only one out of twenty lives longer than fifty years. Firms are born, they grow, then they struggle to keep up with changing markets. Slow adapters often become big losers, fall by the wayside, and die. Serial Innovators studies the factors affecting the aging of firms, particularly those that slow down their ability to adapt to changes in the marketplace. The book reviews recent findings in relevant academic fields—behavioral economics, psychology, neuroscience, organizational science, network theory, anthropology, sociology, and strategy—to understand how firms, as they grow, develop rigidities that prevent change. It develops a model of organization that is adaptive, innovative, and can create significant value for its stakeholders for long periods of time".
Understand where you fit to understand where you'll excel Fit: When Talent and Intelligence Just Won't Cut It answers the fundamental performance questions that people have asked for generations. Why is that some individuals are consistently high performers, how do they keep performing in varying situations, organisations and contexts, why can some people just not seem to be able to crack that code, and why do some individuals perform exceptionally well in certain organisations but not in others? This fresh new book challenges current thinking about the war for talent and the role intelligence plays in high performance sport and business. Over 3,000 profiles of elite corporate managers and professional elites have been studied to find the answers as to why certain individuals consistently get exceptional results and why great talent doesn't transfer across teams and businesses. Fit considers real live cases and well-known examples of spectacular successes and failures through the lens of the Hogan Personality Tools. This shows how elite performance is dependent on three things; understanding what role your behaviours are best suited to, what culture you perform your best in and how you're likely to derail your career. Armed with this knowledge, this innovative text allows you to connect the dots on your past performances and prepares you to find roles, organisations and teams which best fit you – opening the door for elite performance. Instead of talent management and changing behaviour, look to Fit as a key to your performance improvement. You'll find that performance does not have a one-size-fits-all formula – it is bespoke, personal and different for each individual. Understand how you can align your natural style with the right roles to achieve elite performance in your professional and personal lives Appreciate your unique behavioural patterns that impact personal and team success Discover that true success is not totally dependent on talent and intelligence, but on discovering what you're good at and where you fit. Fit: When Talent and Intelligence Just Won't Cut It unearths the hidden traits of elite performance and enables you to find your fit to further enhance your engagement and success.
Appealing to humans' basic instincts to increase influence, buy-in and results Survival of the species comes down to three basic instincts, say behavioural research strategists Dan Gregory and Kieran Flanagan—fear, self-interest and simplicity. These basic human behaviours come into play in all types of relationships, including those between businesses and customers. Selfish, Scared and Stupid: Stop fighting human nature and increase your performance, engagement and influence, demystifies these behaviours and examines the psychology behind why even the best ideas sometimes fail. This book helps businesses design their organisations for reality rather than perfection, and also offers strategies to head off unprecedented levels of disengagement within, and outside, the business. It answers baffling questions around why the public sometimes fails to engage despite overwhelming data suggesting otherwise, why so many new products end up on clearance shelves and why so many great salespeople often fall short of their monthly targets. Learn how the survival of the species plays into business, including delusionary realities and the reasons ideas can fail Discover how to offer customers strategic rewards, thereby making the buying process more attractive to selfish natures Examine the link between fear and the unknown, including strategies for quelling fears and turning them into action Learn to use a simple mindset to create low-involvement products, helping appeal to instinct and making products hard to resist This provocative book is built on the idea that businesses must return to a more human engagement methodology in order to succeed. It is an informative read for anyone interested in improving influence, growing business reach, improving sales figures or understanding the complexities of human behaviour.
An overview of today's energy markets from a multi-commodity perspective As global warming takes center stage in the public and private sectors, new debates on the future of energy markets and electricity generation have emerged around the world. The Second Edition of Managing Energy Risk has been updated to reflect the latest products, approaches, and energy market evolution. A full 30% of the content accounts for changes that have occurred since the publication of the first edition. Practitioners will appreciate this contemporary approach to energy and the comprehensive information on recent market influences. A new chapter is devoted to the growing importance of renewable energy sources, related subsidy schemes and their impact on energy markets. Carbon emissions certificates, post-Fukushima market shifts, and improvements in renewable energy generation are all included. Further, due to the unprecedented growth in shale gas production in recent years, a significant amount of material on gas markets has been added in this edition. Managing Energy Risk is now a complete guide to both gas and electricity markets, and gas-specific models like gas storage and swing contracts are given their due. The unique, practical approach to energy trading includes a comprehensive explanation of the interactions and relations between all energy commodities. Thoroughly revised to reflect recent changes in renewable energy, impacts of the financial crisis, and market fluctuations in the wake of Fukushima Emphasizes both electricity and gas, with all-new gas valuation models and a thorough description of the gas market Written by a team of authors with theoretical and practical expertise, blending mathematical finance and technical optimization Covers developments in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, as well as coal, oil, natural gas, and renewables The latest developments in gas and power markets have demonstrated the growing importance of energy risk management for utility companies and energy intensive industry. By combining energy economics models and financial engineering, Managing Energy Risk delivers a balanced perspective that captures the nuances in the exciting world of energy.
How to parse, analyze, and incorporate census data This handy resource offers a reference guide for anyone interested in tailoring specific Census data to their needs. It includes computer coding (SAS v9.x) software for extracting targeted data from thousands of Census files, as well as primers on using online tools and mapping software for analyzing data. The book offers thorough coverage of all aspects of census data including its historical significance, suggestions for parsing housing, occupation, transportation, economic, health, and other data from the census, and much more. Offers an guide to analyzing Census data that can have an impact on financial markets as well as housing and economic data boding ill or well for the future of the economy It includes computer coding (SAS v9.x) scripts for extracting specific data from Census files Offers guidance on using thousands of variables from Census results released every year and American Community Survey data now released every year The only one-stop guide to analyzing and using annual and decennial Census data Bass offers a practical guide for leveraging information compiled by the Census to further research as well as business interests.
Stop saying 'no' to opportunity, and start saying 'yes' to possibility Happy Accidents is your personal guide to transforming your life. As we take on task after task, responsibility after responsibility, we lose sight of who we are and why we're doing what we do; we rush through the day completing a to-do list, but we never really seem to accomplish the things that are most important. What goals do you have for your life? What steps have you taken toward them today? Consider this book your guide to getting back on track to your dreams and help inspire those around you. It's not about doing more or doing less, it's about making what you do worthy of the effort. From forging new relationships, stepping out of your comfort zone, and reframing your work—start valuing these as empowering choices you get to make toward a particular goal every day. To preserve our precious time and energy, we often default to 'no,' yet this only closes the door to our growth, while a 'yes' opens up a world of possibilities. The secret is adding 'yes, and' to our lives. This seductively simple turn of phrase opens the doors to better collaboration and positive relationships, and invites self-sustaining opportunities into our world. 'Yes, and' helps you get from where you are, as an individual or organization, to where want to be. No person or organization is an island, and none of us reaches our goals alone. This book shows you how to build on the power of open-mindedness, cultivate supportive relationships, and adopt a win-win mindset to reignite your purpose and unleash your best. Harness the power of team collaboration, cooperation, and creativity Reframe 'mistakes' and 'bad ideas' into 'Happy Accidents' that lead to opportunities Communicate more effectively by learning how to listen actively and build on the pertinent information Relinquish some degree of control to allow for more growth and discovery Children have a natural inclination toward curiosity. As we grow into adults, our curiosity gradually takes a back seat to obligations, responsibility, and duty—but that spark remains, and can be reignited. Don't spend your life adrift in a sea of 'could've, would've, should've'—take back your sense of purpose, positivity, joy, time, and energy with the power of Happy Accidents.
Since the formalization of asset allocation in 1952 with the publication of Portfolio Selection by Harry Markowitz, there have been great strides made to enhance the application of this groundbreaking theory. However, progress has been uneven. It has been punctuated with instances of misleading research, which has contributed to the stubborn persistence of certain fallacies about asset allocation. A Practitioner's Guide to Asset Allocation fills a void in the literature by offering a hands-on resource that describes the many important innovations that address key challenges to asset allocation and dispels common fallacies about asset allocation. The authors cover the fundamentals of asset allocation, including a discussion of the attributes that qualify a group of securities as an asset class and a detailed description of the conventional application of mean-variance analysis to asset allocation.. The authors review a number of common fallacies about asset allocation and dispel these misconceptions with logic or hard evidence. The fallacies debunked include such notions as: asset allocation determines more than 90% of investment performance; time diversifies risk; optimization is hypersensitive to estimation error; factors provide greater diversification than assets and are more effective at reducing noise; and that equally weighted portfolios perform more reliably out of sample than optimized portfolios. A Practitioner's Guide to Asset Allocation also explores the innovations that address key challenges to asset allocation and presents an alternative optimization procedure to address the idea that some investors have complex preferences and returns may not be elliptically distributed. Among the challenges highlighted, the authors explain how to overcome inefficiencies that result from constraints by expanding the optimization objective function to incorporate absolute and relative goals simultaneously. The text also explores the challenge of currency risk, describes how to use shadow assets and liabilities to unify liquidity with expected return and risk, and shows how to evaluate alternative asset mixes by assessing exposure to loss throughout the investment horizon based on regime-dependent risk. This practical text contains an illustrative example of asset allocation which is used to demonstrate the impact of the innovations described throughout the book. In addition, the book includes supplemental material that summarizes the key takeaways and includes information on relevant statistical and theoretical concepts, as well as a comprehensive glossary of terms.
Ever notice how companies with the best service also have the happiest employees? That’s no accident. Do you want to build a strong, successful organization? Start by ignoring your customers. Really. Instead, focus first on creating a better employee experience, or EX. Your employees interact with customers, make them smile, and carry your brand message from the warehouse to the front lines. If your employees are having a great experience, so will your customers. In The Employee Experience, employee engagement pioneers Tracy Maylett and Matthew Wride reveal the secrets not only to attracting and retaining top talent, but to building a deeply engaged workforce—the foundation of organizational success. With deep insights into the dynamics of trust and mutual expectations, this book shows that before you can deliver a transcendent customer experience (CX), you must first build a superlative EX. With real-world examples and more than 24 million employee survey responses, Maylett and Wride reveal a clear, consistent pattern among the world’s most successful organizations. By establishing a clear set of expectations and promises—collectively known as the Contract—and upholding it consistently, employers can build the trust that leads to powerful engagement. Whether in business, healthcare, education, sports, or nonprofit, these organizations are consistently more successful and more profitable, enjoy sustainable growth, and win the battle to keep today’s rarest resource: talented people. Blending rigorous research, detailed case studies, in-depth interviews and expert insights, The Employee Experience will teach you to: Make the employee experience a core part of your strategy Understand employee expectations and bridge the “Expectation Gap” Establish rock-solid Brand, Transactional, and Psychological Contracts that breed trust and confidence Build an employee-employer partnership in creating something extraordinary Turn employee engagement into fuel for customer satisfaction, profit, and growth Attracting talent, retaining top performers, and creating an environment in which employees choose to engage drives results. The Employee Experience shows you where truly extraordinary organizations begin…and how to build one. TRACY MAYLETT, Ed.D, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the CEO of DecisionWise, where he currently advises leaders across the globe in leadership, change, and employee engagement. Maylett holds a doctorate from Pepperdine University and an MBA from BYU. He is a recognized author, and teaches in the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. MATTHEW WRIDE, JD, PHR, is the COO of DecisionWise. With an extensive business background, Wride brings a fresh approach to organization development and leadership consulting. He is passionate about helping leaders create winning employee experiences. Wride holds a JD from Willamette University and a master’s degree from the University of Washington. For over two decades, DecisionWise has advised organizations and leaders in more than seventy countries on leadership, assessment, talent, organization development, and the employee experience. Visit us online at www.decision-wise.com.
An integrated, strategic approach to higher-value analytics Leaders and Innovators: How Data-Driven Organizations Are Winning with Analytics shows how businesses leverage enterprise analytics to gain strategic insights for profitability and growth. The key factor is integrated, end-to-end capabilities that encompass data management and analytics from a business and IT perspective; with analytics running inside a database where the data reside, everyday analytical processes become streamlined and more efficient. This book shows you what analytics is, what it can do, and how you can integrate old and new technologies to get more out of your data. Case studies and examples illustrate real-world scenarios in which an optimized analytics system revolutionized an organization's business. Using in-database and in-memory analytics along with Hadoop, you'll be equipped to improve performance while reducing processing time from days or weeks to hours or minutes. This more strategic approach uncovers the opportunities hidden in your data, and the detailed guidance to optimal data management allows you to break through even the biggest data challenges. With data coming in from every angle in a constant stream, there has never been a greater need for proactive and agile strategies to overcome these struggles in a volatile and competitive economy. This book provides clear guidance and an integrated strategy for organizations seeking greater value from their data and becoming leaders and innovators in the industry. Streamline analytics processes and daily tasks Integrate traditional tools with new and modern technologies Evolve from tactical to strategic behavior Explore new analytics methods and applications The depth and breadth of analytics capabilities, technologies, and potential makes it a bottomless well of insight. But too many organizations falter at implementation—too much, not enough, or the right amount in the wrong way all fail to deliver what an optimized and integrated system could. Leaders and Innovators: How Data-Driven Organizations Are Winning with Analytics shows you how to create the system your organization needs to dramatically improve performance, increase profitability, and drive innovation at all levels for the present and future.