Clear, actionable guidance toward managing a major leadership change Transitions at the Top is an insightful, informative guide to navigating a change in leadership. A smooth transition is critical to both the health of the organization and the success of the new leader, but good planning and strong strategy can help organizations come out fresher and more driven on the other side. This book provides the specific principles, guidelines, and actions that boards, C-suite executives, and HR leaders need to guarantee a successful CEO transition. Continuity is key as one leader passes the mantle to a successor, and this book spans the steps and events that take place from when the candidate accepts the offer, all the way through the point where a critical mass of followers have accepted him or her as the established leader. Coverage includes guidance on who should be engaged in the process, as well as role-specific advice for each member of the transition management team. Many books have been written to advise new incoming CEOs, but there is little guidance available for the organization as a whole. This book provides actionable advice on smoothing the transition without breaking stride. Maintain continuity during leadership transitions Strengthen focus on culture, systems, and processes Engage all influential executives in smoothing the transition Lay a foundation to help the new leader succeed The transition management team plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the organization during a time of major change. Strong strategy becomes critical when an organization is in flux, and high engagement is key. Transitions at the Top provides expert insight, clear guidance, and a solid plan for a smoother transition.
Devise an organized, proactive approach to financial compliance Financial Regulation and Compliance provides detailed, step-by-step guidance for the compliance professional seeking to manage overlapping and new regulatory responsibilities. Written by David Kotz, former Inspector General of the SEC with additional guidance provided by leading experts, this book is a one-stop resource for navigating the numerous regulations that have been enacted in response to the financial crisis. You'll learn how best to defend your organization from SEC, CFTC, FINRA, and NFA Enforcement actions, how to prepare for SEC, FINRA, and NFA regulatory examinations, how to manage the increasing volume of whistleblower complaints, how to efficiently and effectively investigate these complaints, and more. Detailed discussion of the regulatory process explains how aggressive you should be in confronting federal agencies and self-regulatory organizations and describes how commenting on issues that affect your business area can be productive or not. The companion website includes a glossary of terms, regulations and government guidance, relevant case law, research databases, and FAQs about various topics, giving you a complete solution for keeping abreast of evolving compliance issues. These days, compliance professionals are faced with a myriad of often overlapping regulatory challenges. Increased aggressiveness on the part of regulators has led to increased demand on financial firms, but this book provides clear insight into navigating the changes and building a more robust compliance function. Strengthen internal compliance and governance programs Manage whistleblower programs and conduct effective investigations Understand how to minimize exposure and liability from Enforcement actions Learn how to prepare for the different types of regulatory examinations Minimize exposure from FCPA violations Understand the pros and cons of commenting on regulations The volume and pace of regulatory change is causing new and diverse pressures on compliance professionals. Navigate the choppy waters successfully with the insider guidance in Financial Regulation and Compliance.
A Comprehensive Review of the Liquid Alts Market and How ‘40 Act Products Can Enhance Client Portfolios Liquid alternatives give investors access to hedge fund strategies with the benefits of ’40 Act products: lower fees, higher liquidity, greater transparency, and improved tax efficiency. Alts Democratized is a hands-on guide that offers financial advisors and individual investors the tools and analysis to enhance client portfolios using alternative mutual funds and ETFs. Well-grounded in research and replete with more than 100 exhibits of Lipper data, Alts Democratized profiles the top ten funds in each of the eleven Lipper liquid alt classifications. This includes total net assets, fund flows, risk and return metrics, and the factor exposures that drive performance and help explain correlations to various forms of beta. Jessica Lynn Rabe and Robert J. Martorana, CFA, combine this research with a comprehensive framework for fund selection and portfolio construction to enhance the asset allocation process, facilitate portfolio customization, and manage client expectations. In addition, the book includes functional perspectives on issues pertinent to financial advisors such as fees, client suitability, and volatility management. This helps advisors apply the concepts to portfolios and offer actionable investment advice. The authors also interviewed executives at leading wealth management firms to provide color on industry trends and best practices. The companion website provides ancillary materials that reinforce and supplement the book, including: The authors’ top ten takeaways Classification cheat sheet Portfolio construction guide (full color) Talking points for clients Q&A on liquid alts Presentation with all 118 exhibits from the book (full color) Alts Democratized comprises a complete resource for the advisor seeking new sources of alpha, diversification, and hedging of tail risks.
Leave the old paradigm behind and start safeguarding your portfolio Short Selling with the O'Neil Disciples is a guide to optimizing investment performance by employing the unique strategies put forth by William O'Neil. The authors traded these strategies with real money, then refined them to reflect changing markets and conditions to arrive at a globally-relevant short-selling strategy that helps investors realize maximum profit. Readers will learn how short selling recognizes the life-cycle paradigm arising from an economic system that thrives on 'creative destruction,' and has been mischaracterized as an evil enterprise when it is simply a single component in smart investing and money management. This informative guide describes the crucial methods that preserve gains and offset declines in other stocks that make up a portfolio with more of an intermediate- to long-term investment horizon, and how to profit outright when markets begin to decline. Short-selling is the act of identifying a change of trend in a stock from up to down, and seeking to profit from that change by riding the stock to the downside by selling the stock while not actually owning it, with the idea of buying the stock back later at a lower price. This book describes the methods that make short-selling work in today's markets, with expert advice for optimal practice. Learn the six basic rues of short-selling Find opportunities on both the long and short sides of stocks Practice refined methods that make short-selling smarter Examine case studies that profitably embody these practices Investors able to climb out of the pessimistic, conspiratorial frame of mind that fixates on the negative will find that short selling can serve as a practical safeguard that will protect the rest of their portfolio. With clear guidance toward the techniques relevant in today's markets, Short Selling with the O'Neil Disciples is an essential read.
STAYING THE COURSE AS A CIO: HOW TO OVERCOME THE TRIALS AND CHALLENGES OF IT LEADERSHIP The shelf-life of a Chief Information Officer can be shockingly short. Few survive in post for more than a few years. More often each falls prey to insurmountable problems and their careers come to a sharp and ignominious end. In this book, a global CIO with over thirty years of experience in major corporations examines the main reasons why this happens. Readers will understand which types of issue can cause problems for an IT Leader and more importantly, they will learn strategies of how these problems can be minimized or even avoided. IT is often seen a technical backwater, but it is a discipline which has the capability to add massive value to an organisation whether it is in the private or the public sector – provided of course it has the right leadership doing the right things. Aspiring IT Leaders will need to deal with a common set of recurring trials and challenges. These include: · Overcoming the challenge of managing diverse and conflicting stakeholders · How to deal with large and complex projects · Making sense of software and how to handle the rapidly changing technology landscape · Knowing when to outsource and how to get the best out of an outsourcing partner · Harnessing the intellectual power of consultants to help you meet your goals · And last but not least, how to develop a set of strategies that are aligned with your corporate goals and then make sure your resources are properly targetted so that the IT function generates maximum positive impact for the enterprise. For IT professionals looking to fully integrate their function into the enterprise, 'Staying the Course as a CIO’ is a valuable source of practical advice, all based on real experience.
Craving a career in web dev? Chart your path with this helpful guide Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies provides a roadmap to one of the «hot jobs» in the booming world of tech. The web development field is large, and it encompasses many actual functions. This book helps you understand the web development career opportunities and determine the path you should take, based on your own personal needs and preferences, to launch your career. You'll learn about various career options, the skills you'll need to become an attractive candidate, how to go about learning the ropes, and proving your abilities to a potential employer or client. With so many possible goals and no one right way to get there, this book cuts through the confusion to put you on the path to a career you want. The web development industry is expected to grow for the foreseeable future, and there is already a shortage of trained workers to fill the jobs. Whether you lean technical or aesthetic, you can find your place in the industry with right skills—both hard and soft—and with the right plan. Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies is your guide to formulating that plan and getting started right. Find formal or informal ways to build the tech skills you'll need Discover where you fit, whether as a freelancer or within an organization Learn how to build a resume, develop a portfolio, and impress interviewers Get expert tips on finding resources, building a reputation, and more If your pet peeves include malfunctioning forms, flashing banners, and sites that take way too long to load, the web development world needs you. But before you begin your journey, you need a destination and a route in mind. Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies is your roadmap, so you can set out today.
A deeply human-centered perspective on the origins of America's food Where Am I Eating? bridges the gap between global food producers and the American consumer, providing an insightful look at how our eating habits affect farmers and fishermen around the world. Follow the author on his global quest to meet the workers that nurture, harvest, and hunt our food, as he works alongside them—loading lobster diving boats in Nicaragua, harvesting bananas in Costa Rica, lugging cocoa beans in Ivory Coast with a modern-day slave, picking coffee beans in Colombia and hauling tomatoes in Indiana. This new edition includes a study guide, a deeper explanation of the «glocal» concept, and advice for students looking to become engaged as both local and global citizens. Arguing neither for nor against globalization, this book simply explores the lives of those who feed us. Imports account for eighty-six percent of America's seafood, fifty percent of its fresh fruit, and eighteen percent of its fresh vegetables. Where Am I Eating? examines the effects of this reliance on those who supply the global food economy. Learn more about the global producers that feed our nation, and learn from their worldviews intensely connected to people and planet Discover how food preferences and trends affect the lives of farmers and fishermen Catch a boots-on-the-ground glimpse of the daily lives of food producers on four continents Meet a modern-day slave and explore the blurred line between exploitation and opportunity Observe how the poorest producers fare in the global food economy This book takes a human-centered approach to food, investigating the lives of the people at the other end of the global food economy, observing the hope and opportunity—or lack thereof—that results from our reliance on imports. Where Am I Eating? is a touching, insightful, informative look at the origins of our food.
Convert the promise of big data into real world results There is so much buzz around big data. We all need to know what it is and how it works – that much is obvious. But is a basic understanding of the theory enough to hold your own in strategy meetings? Probably. But what will set you apart from the rest is actually knowing how to USE big data to get solid, real-world business results – and putting that in place to improve performance. Big Data will give you a clear understanding, blueprint, and step-by-step approach to building your own big data strategy. This is a well-needed practical introduction to actually putting the topic into practice. Illustrated with numerous real-world examples from a cross section of companies and organisations, Big Data will take you through the five steps of the SMART model: Start with Strategy, Measure Metrics and Data, Apply Analytics, Report Results, Transform. Discusses how companies need to clearly define what it is they need to know Outlines how companies can collect relevant data and measure the metrics that will help them answer their most important business questions Addresses how the results of big data analytics can be visualised and communicated to ensure key decisions-makers understand them Includes many high-profile case studies from the author's work with some of the world's best known brands
Take your photos from «meh» to «wow!» with Photoshop Elements 13 and this expert guide Photoshop Elements 13 For Dummies is your guide to picture perfection using Adobe's Photoshop Elements. This full-color manual walks you through the process of photo editing, from basic color corrections to advanced filter effects, drawing, and more. Work through from beginning to end for a complete lesson, or keep it handy as a quick reference for unfamiliar tools and techniques. Designed for beginner and intermediate Photoshop Elements users, this book provides straightforward instruction in a fun, richly illustrated, easy-to-read style that makes learning feel like play. Combining powerful tools with a user-friendly interface has made Photoshop Elements the number-one selling photo editing software. Photoshop Elements 13 For Dummies shows you how to take advantage of everything the software has to offer, helping you create high-quality images for print, e-mail, and the web. Even with no digital image editing experience at all, you'll learn how to take your photos from bland to beautiful and have a blast along the way. Adjust resolutions, color modes, and file formats to best suit the project Work with layers, filters, effects, styles, type, and more Correct color, contrast and clarity for a simple photo makeover Optimize for print, or share on Facebook, Flickr, and other social networks The power and simplicity of Photoshop Elements makes it the perfect solution for amateurs seeking an affordable digital editing platform. The quicker you learn the tools, the sooner you'll be turning out photos to brag about – and Photoshop Elements 13 For Dummies will get you there in a flash.
How to win market leadership in a fast-changing world In the past, companies could pick a strategy and stick with it, maintaining a competitive edge for years. But today, companies surge ahead, fall behind, or even disappear in mere months. If you and your company are going to thrive for the long run, you need to continuously evolve, change, and stay a step ahead of your competition. The ability to see and capitalize on new opportunities is the cornerstone of agility. Successful technology-based firms like Google, Tesla, and Amazon have all mastered agility within their core business practices, but companies in any sector can—and must—learn to spot new opportunities and make the right choices about what to invest in, what to change, and what to abandon. The Agility Advantage first shows how to identify those aspects of your business where agility is most crucial—where the business environment is changing fast—and which elements have the greatest impact on the customer’s decision to buy. Amanda Setili then shows how to master the three components of agility: Market agility: Gain ideas from your most demanding and forward-thinking customers and from outside your industry. Engage, observe, and mix with customers to identify the opportunities created by their changing demands. Decision agility: Anticipate the changes that may affect you and turn even troubling trends into opportunities. Design your strategy to maximize learning and to manage risk. Generate diverse alternatives and make fast, fact-based decisions about which to pursue. Execution agility: Build new capabilities, shed what doesn’t fit, and take the first steps in a new direction. Experiment, then reinforce and build on what works. Enlist and inspire your organization around a compelling purpose and grant employees the autonomy and resources to continuously adapt and adjust course. The future will present more opportunities but narrower windows to capture them. With a wealth of valuable information and practical strategies, The Agility Advantage is essential reading to help any organization adapt and thrive—both today and tomorrow.