The Dynamics of Conflict When it was published in 2000, Bernie Mayer's The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution quickly became one of the seminal works in the conflict resolution field. The book bridged the gap between abstract theoretical approaches and practical handbooks and became an immensely valuable and accessible resource for experienced and novice practitioners, as well as for professors and students of conflict management who needed a deep yet practical view of conflict and methods for dealing with it. The Dynamics of Conflict is the second edition of Mayer's classic book. While building on the strengths of the first edition, this thoroughly revised and updated book keeps pace with the most current trends and research in the field and explores four key concepts: interactional dynamics, system dynamics, culture and conflict, and conflict engagement. Like the first edition, the focus of the new edition is on the ways we can productively think about conflict and conflict intervention, rather than on specific techniques and processes. Mayer presents ideas about conflict as a set of conceptual tools that build on one another and contribute to a multifaceted view of conflict and conflict intervention but that also stand on their own. Filled with illustrative examples, the book draws from the author's thirty years of experience with interpersonal, family, community, organizational, labor management, environmental, public policy, and international disputes and includes instances of conflicts that have been in the news. In addition, this vital resource contains information on the most important work that has been done in the past decade on culture, systems, and conflict engagement and shows how conflict concepts apply to new technologies such as online communication and conflict resolution efforts on the Web. In the concluding chapter Mayer explores how conflict intervention efforts fit into more general values about peace, democracy, and social justice, and the personal impact that conflict work as a field has on conflict specialists.
The ultimate guide to dealing with hedge fund risk in a post-Great Recession world Hedge funds have been faced with a variety of new challenges as a result of the ongoing financial crisis. The simultaneous collapse of major financial institutions that were their trading counterparties and service providers, fundamental and systemic increases in market volatility and illiquidity, and unrelenting demands from investors to redeem their hedge fund investments have conspired to make the climate for hedge funds extremely uncomfortable. As a result, many funds have failed or been forced to close due to poor performance. Managing Hedge Fund Risk and Financing: Adapting to a New Era brings together the many lessons learned from the recent crisis. Advising hedge fund managers and CFOs on how to manage the risk of their investment strategies and structure relationships to best insulate their firms and investors from the failures of financial counterparties, the book looks in detail at the various methodologies for managing hedge fund market, credit, and operational risks depending on the hedge fund's investment strategy. Also covering best practice ISDA, Prime Brokerage, Fee and Margin Lock Up, and including tips for Committed Facility lending contracts, the book includes everything you need to know to learn from the events of the past to inform your future hedge fund dealings. Shows how to manage hedge fund risk through the application of financial risk modelling and measurement techniques as well as the structuring of financial relationships with investors, regulators, creditors, and trading counterparties Written by a global finance expert, David Belmont, who worked closely with hedge fund clients during the crisis and experienced first hand what works Explains how to profit from the financial crisis In the wake of the Financial Crisis there have been calls for more stringent management of hedge fund risk, and this timely book offers comprehensive guidelines for CFOs looking to ensure world-class levels of corporate governance.
Praise for Boardroom Realities «Authored by a 'who's who' roster of governance experts, Boardroom Realities covers the latest trends in board leadership and performance as well as talent management for the board and the C-suite—all critical topics for any director serious about board service today.» —Kenneth Daly, president and CEO, National Association of Corporate Directors «If leadership and effectiveness in the boardroom were important in a more benign environment, they're absolutely vital in today's tumultuous times. Boardroom Realities provides a modern and detailed road map to help steer chairmen, CEOs, and boards through these uncharted governance waters.» —Peter Weinberg, partner, Perella Weinberg Partners «Jay Conger's Boardroom Realities offers a unique perspective on governance through leadership, rather than compliance, and should compel all directors to revisit the focus of board deliberations, especially at this time of unprecedented economic and financial turmoil.» —Alison A. Winter, cofounder, WomenCorporateDirectors, and a corporate director for Nordstrom, Inc. «Boardroom Realities is a very comprehensive compilation of useful insights on key issues that boards must deal with every day. It's an excellent resource for board members as well as members of management who must work together to ensure good governance on behalf of shareholders.» —Ronald D. Sugar, chairman of the board and CEO, Northrop Grumman Corporation «Jay Conger has collected critical insights and the latest thinking on board leadership from many of today's foremost governance thinkers. Boardroom Realities is a must for your board and for any comprehensive corporate governance library.» —Ralph D. Ward, publisher, Boardroom INSIDER, and author, The New Boardroom Leaders
Islamic Branding and Marketing: Creating A Global Islamic Business provides a complete guide to building brands in the largest consumer market in the world. The global Muslim market is now approximately 23 percent of the world's population, and is projected to grow by about 35 percent in the next 20 years. If current trends continue, there are expected to be 2.2 billion Muslims in 2030 that will make up 26.4 percent of the world's total projected population of 8.3 billion. As companies currently compete for the markets of China and India, few have realized the global Muslim market represents potentially larger opportunities. Author Paul Temporal explains how to develop and manage brands and businesses for the fast-growing Muslim market through sophisticated strategies that will ensure sustainable value, and addresses issues such as: How is the global Muslim market structured? What opportunities are there in Islamic brand categories, including the digital world? What strategies should non-Muslim companies adopt in Muslim countries? More than 30 case studies illustrate practical applications of the topics covered, including Brunei Halal Brand, Godiva Chocolatier, Johor Corporations, Nestle, Unilever, Fulla, Muxlim Inc, and more. Whether you are in control of an established company, starting up a new one, or have responsibility for a brand within an Islamic country looking for growth, Islamic Branding and Marketing is an indispensable resource that will help build, improve and secure brand equity and value for your company.
In The Credible Company, communication expert Roger D?Aprix provides a logical and tested strategy to inform skeptical employees in a time of turbulent change. With information being the lifeblood of today?s intellectual-capital assembly line, D?Aprix explains, the internal communication task has taken on an unprecedented importance. Drawing on his experience as a corporate communication executive and consultant, the author offers a practical prescription for effective communication: INFORMS (as in a communication strategy that informs). Based on the principles of Information, Needs on the Job, Face-to-Face Communication, Openness, Research, Marketplace, and Strategy, INFORMS provides a winning formula for those with the insight and motivation to work for greater credibility within companies and other institutional organizations. Throughout the book, D?Aprix provides numerous illustrative examples from his rich consulting experience as lessons in what to do and what not to do in communicating with the workforce.
This book is crammed with distilled, practical wisdom for key account managers and their directors. Organizations claiming to practise key account management should equip everyone involved with a copy, so they really understand what they are supposed to be doing. Anything less is just old-fashioned selling. Developing successful business-to-business relationships with more customers in highly competitive markets requires processes and skills that go beyond traditional selling activity. The very best state-of-the-art strategies are set out clearly in this book by intentionally known authors who have worked at the highest levels with more key and strategic account managers worldwide than probably any other leading advisors. Based on the hugely influential KEY CUSTOMERS it looks at: Why has account management become so critical to commercial success? What are the key challenges and how do successful companies respond? What part does key account management play in strategic planning? How do companies build profitable relationships with their customers? How does key account management actually work? What does a successful key account manager look like and what skills does he/she need? How should key account managers be evaluated and rewarded? How do companies achieve key account management? By addressing these key questions Woodburn and McDonald provide tools and processes for success honed by tough consultancy projects with the boards of some of the world's leading companies. The book stresses the elements that really matter – from developing a customer categorization system that really works and analyzing the needs of key accounts; to understanding the new skills required by key account managers and ensuring that key account plans are implemented. The 'real world' approach is backed by tested principles and the latest research from the renowned Cranfield School of Management. Key Account Management comes from authors who have taught leading companies how to approach their most powerful and demanding customers and still make money. It is essential reading for all senior management with strategic responsibility, for key or strategic account directors, and for marketing and sales executives. The clear and authoritative approach also makes it an outstanding text for the serious MBA and executive student as well as business-to-business company directors and key account managers.
Taking due account of extreme events when constructing portfolios of assets or liabilities is a key discipline for market professionals. Extreme events are a fact of life in how markets operate. In Extreme Events: Robust Portfolio Construction in the Presence of Fat Tails, leading expert Malcolm Kemp shows readers how to analyse market data to uncover fat-tailed behaviour, how to incorporate expert judgement in the handling of such information, and how to refine portfolio construction methodologies to make portfolios less vulnerable to extreme events or to benefit more from them. This is the only text that combines a comprehensive treatment of modern risk budgeting and portfolio construction techniques with the specific refinements needed for them to handle extreme events. It explains in a logical sequence what constitutes fat-tailed behaviour and why it arises, how we can analyse such behaviour, at aggregate, sector or instrument level, and how we can then take advantage of this analysis. Along the way, it provides a rigorous, comprehensive and clear development of traditional portfolio construction methodologies applicable if fat-tails are absent. It then explains how to refine these methodologies to accommodate real world behaviour. Throughout, the book highlights the importance of expert opinion, showing that even the most data-centric portfolio construction approaches ultimately depend on practitioner assumptions about how the world might behave. The book includes: Key concepts and methods involved in analysing extreme events A comprehensive treatment of mean-variance investing, Bayesian methods, market consistent approaches, risk budgeting, and their application to manager and instrument selection A systematic development of the refinements needed to traditional portfolio construction methodologies to cater for fat-tailed behaviour Latest developments in stress testing and back testing methodologies A strong focus on the practical implementation challenges that can arise at each step in the process and on how to overcome these challenges “Understanding how to model and analyse the risk of extreme events is a crucial part of the risk management process. This book provides a set of techniques that allow practitioners to do this comprehensively.” Paul Sweeting, Professor of Actuarial Science, University of Kent “How can the likeliness of crises affect the construction of portfolios? This question is highly topical in times where we still have to digest the last financial collapse. Malcolm Kemp gives the answer. His book is highly recommended to experts as well as to students in the financial field.” Christoph Krischanitz, President Actuarial Association of Austria, Chairman WG “Market Consistency” of Groupe Consultatif
In this revised edition of Frank Gallo's best-selling book, the author brings the story of leadership in China right up to date. With new material on Chinese leadership styles and the challenges of going global, the book is ideal for any international manager who wants to better understand how to blend the best practices of Western leadership with traditional Chinese wisdom. The content comes from a combination of English and Chinese literature, interviews with practicing executives in China as well as the author's own experience as a leader in China. Dr. Frank Gallo, the Greater China Chief Leadership Consultant for Hewitt Associates, offers sage advice on effective leadership practices for the China market. His key areas of focus include: the unique challenge and complex issues of leading a firm or division in China major areas of cultural differences such as teamwork, decision-making and employee motivation, between Chinese and Western business practices common areas of misunderstanding such as truth versus courteousness; managing a hierarchy versus empowerment; and dealing with the role of the individual rather than the rule of law implementing effective leadership strategies and development with a Chinese company. This timely book will ensure a harmonious leadership style that draws out the best from both Western and Chinese business practices.
A detailed guide to overcoming the most frequently encountered psychological pitfalls of investing Bias, emotion, and overconfidence are just three of the many behavioral traits that can lead investors to lose money or achieve lower returns. Behavioral finance, which recognizes that there is a psychological element to all investor decision-making, can help you overcome this obstacle. In The Little Book of Behavioral Investing, expert James Montier takes you through some of the most important behavioral challenges faced by investors. Montier reveals the most common psychological barriers, clearly showing how emotion, overconfidence, and a multitude of other behavioral traits, can affect investment decision-making. Offers time-tested ways to identify and avoid the pitfalls of investor bias Author James Montier is one of the world's foremost behavioral analysts Discusses how to learn from our investment mistakes instead of repeating them Explores the behavioral principles that will allow you to maintain a successful investment portfolio Written in a straightforward and accessible style, The Little Book of Behavioral Investing will enable you to identify and eliminate behavioral traits that can hinder your investment endeavors and show you how to go about achieving superior returns in the process. Praise for The Little Book Of Behavioral Investing «The Little Book of Behavioral Investing is an important book for anyone who is interested in understanding the ways that human nature and financial markets interact.» —Dan Ariely, James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics, Duke University, and author of Predictably Irrational «In investing, success means¿being on the right side of most trades. No book provides a better starting point toward that goal than this one.» —Bruce Greenwald, Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Finance and Asset Management, Columbia Business School «'Know thyself.' Overcoming human instinct is key to becoming a better investor.¿ You would be irrational if you did not read this book.» —Edward Bonham-Carter, Chief Executive and Chief Investment Officer, Jupiter Asset Management «There is not an investor anywhere who wouldn't profit from reading this book.» —Jeff Hochman, Director of Technical Strategy, Fidelity Investment Services Limited «James Montier gives us a very accessible version of why we as investors are so predictably irrational, and a guide to help us channel our 'Inner Spock' to make better investment decisions. Bravo!» —John Mauldin, President, Millennium Wave Investments
The book highlights the major risks that securities analysts (and other securities professionals) face. The various laws, rules and regulations that securities analysts are subject to are broadly split into three categories: research-specific rules and regulations; market-wide laws; and society-wide laws and customs. The risks that arise out of these various levels of rules and regulations, insofar as research analysts and other securities professionals are concerned, include conflicts of interest, fair distribution/front-running of research, insider trading, spreading of rumours, not highlighting investment risks (including corporate governance issues), as well as defamation and copyright issues. We see that if an analyst puts a company in play, a regulator would instantly assume that the analyst is trading on inside information (especially if the information turns out to be true) or is spreading a rumour (especially if it turns out to be false). However, we also see that there is a third option – that the analyst might just have come to his or her conclusion through some good research based on verifiable facts and reasonable assumptions. Definitions of research from around the world are examined. After all, research is generally defined by its content, not by the author's job description. As such, non-Research securities professionals such as brokers and marketers of research as well as investors, journalists and even bloggers and twitterers need to understand what constitutes “research” so that they don't fall into the regulators' purview. As regards the risks to investment views that analysts need to highlight to their investors, the book not only examines economic and financial risks but also examines corporate governance issues such as executive compensation, equal treatment of shareholders, related-party transactions and risk management. To demonstrate the risks that analysts, securities professionals and investors face, the book draws on many cases and examples from around the world, including many from the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. From these cases we see how penalties for those involved in the securities markets have become more serious over the years. They range from fines to imprisonment, and even to execution in some markets. To give a light-hearted angle, many of these cases are accompanied by “Alex” cartoons.