Get a handle on the digital currency revolution, and learn how to get on board The Bitcoin Big Bang is a guide to navigating the uncharted territory of digital currency. Written by CNBC contributor Brian Kelly, this book goes beyond Bitcoin 101 to explain how this transformative technology is about to change the world. Digital currency is thrown into perspective against the history of payment systems and its own evolution, as readers are invited to explore the ways in which this technology is already changing the way business gets done. Readers gain insight into the mechanisms behind Bitcoin, and an expert perspective on digital currency's effect on the future of money and the economic implications of the Bitcoin revolution. In the same way that e-mail changed the way we transfer information, the decentralized Bitcoin network is about to revolutionize the business world, the legal profession, and even the role of the government. The Bitcoin Big Bang dives head first into this paradigm shift, allowing readers to: Explore the origins of digital currency Learn the history and evolution of payment systems Discover how the Bitcoin network is facilitating free and instant transfer of value Understand the mining of Bitcoin, and how to invest The digital currency revolution has implications that spread far beyond the finance industry. Anyone who exchanges payment for goods and services is on the cusp of the next big push in societal evolution, and only an understanding of the technology and a clear knowledge of the systems and behaviors at play can fully prepare us for the changes to come. The Bitcoin Big Bang is the go-to guide, helping those who use money use it better.
The missing manual on how to apply Lean Startup to build products that customers love The Lean Product Playbook is a practical guide to building products that customers love. Whether you work at a startup or a large, established company, we all know that building great products is hard. Most new products fail. This book helps improve your chances of building successful products through clear, step-by-step guidance and advice. The Lean Startup movement has contributed new and valuable ideas about product development and has generated lots of excitement. However, many companies have yet to successfully adopt Lean thinking. Despite their enthusiasm and familiarity with the high-level concepts, many teams run into challenges trying to adopt Lean because they feel like they lack specific guidance on what exactly they should be doing. If you are interested in Lean Startup principles and want to apply them to develop winning products, this book is for you. This book describes the Lean Product Process: a repeatable, easy-to-follow methodology for iterating your way to product-market fit. It walks you through how to: Determine your target customers Identify underserved customer needs Create a winning product strategy Decide on your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Design your MVP prototype Test your MVP with customers Iterate rapidly to achieve product-market fit This book was written by entrepreneur and Lean product expert Dan Olsen whose experience spans product management, UX design, coding, analytics, and marketing across a variety of products. As a hands-on consultant, he refined and applied the advice in this book as he helped many companies improve their product process and build great products. His clients include Facebook, Box, Hightail, Epocrates, and Medallia. Entrepreneurs, executives, product managers, designers, developers, marketers, analysts and anyone who is passionate about building great products will find The Lean Product Playbook an indispensable, hands-on resource.
Many women today wonder: what will it take to get that seat at the boardroom table? Earn that coveted promotion? Or simply have their voices heard? Taking the Stage provides a comprehensive, proven approach that enables women to come forward into the spotlight and speak up, stand out, and succeed. Based on a program from the Humphrey Group that has been delivered to over 400,000 women worldwide, Taking the Stage shows women—no matter their age, rank, or profession—how to communicate with courage and confidence in every situation, from formal speeches to brief hallway conversations. Judith Humphrey provides the inspiration and practical advice for women to “take the stage” mentally, verbally, vocally, and physically. Women can make the most of every opportunity by understanding how best to: Speak up confidently, even when others don’t agree; Convey their accomplishments without self-doubt; Be assertive but not aggressive; Deliver clear and convincing messages; Move beyond “minimizing” language and apology; Find their own powerful and authentic voice; Achieve confident body language and a leadership presence. By applying these techniques and others to every communication— whether making a presentation, speaking at meetings, conducting an elevator conversation, or selling themselves in job interviews—women will be recognized as the leaders they are and attain positions of influence. For women at all stages of their career, and for managers and executives committed to supporting and guiding women on their leadership journeys, Taking the Stage is the practical, broad-based solution that will allow women to speak up confidently, gain respect, earn the promotions they deserve, and secure their places at the boardroom table.
Construct a portfolio that is sure to outperform market averages Warren Buffett had it right all along. Now it's your turn to learn how to construct a portfolio that is sure to outperform the market averages, as well as almost every professional money manager in the world. Warren Buffett's method of predictability can determine a future target price, which in turn determines his all-important purchase price. However, Buffett doesn't draw conclusions of his predictability method relative to the future total returns of portfolios. That's where Buffett and Beyond comes in, taking Buffett's method one giant step beyond, proving that if you select a portfolio of stocks using the predictability method in this book, you will outperform 96% of professional money managers over the long term. In addition to the information in the book, readers will have access to a password-protected website that includes tutorial videos, PowerPoint slides, free trial access to a video newsletter, and a trial subscription to the author's computer program, which follows the research presented in the book. Explains Clean Surplus Accounting (CSA) to determine Return on Owners' Equity (ROE) Uses CSA to determine ROE in a unique way to verify Buffett's all-important purchase price Draws conclusions between Clean Surplus Return on Equity and future total returns Shows that every portfolio selected from the S&P 500 index with above-average Clean Surplus ROEs outperformed the S&P average during the test periods from 1987 to the present If you're an investor, this book will impact your financial life forever.
Implement the Common Core for ELA without all the stress A Non-Freaked Out Guide to Teaching the Common Core uses the often-neglected anchor standards to get to the heart of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)—teaching students the skills they need to be college and career ready. Each anchor standard is broken down into its key points, and a discussion of each anchor standard's central purpose helps outline the context for each required skill. This easy-to-read guide gives educators the kind of clear explanations, examples, and strategies they need to feel comfortable teaching the CCSS, and shows how CCSS skills can be integrated into virtually any existing lesson plan. Getting a firm grasp of the anchor standards is the quickest way to start teaching the key concepts of the CCSS, and this user-friendly guide is designed to pave the way for both the first-time teacher and the experienced pro.
The keys to global business success, as taught by a T-shirt's journey The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy is a critically-acclaimed narrative that illuminates the globalization debates and reveals the key factors to success in global business. Tracing a T-shirt's life story from a Texas cotton field to a Chinese factory and back to a U.S. storefront before arriving at the used clothing market in Africa, the book uncovers the political and economic forces at work in the global economy. Along the way, this fascinating exploration addresses a wealth of compelling questions about politics, trade, economics, ethics, and the impact of history on today's business landscape. This new printing of the second edition includes a revised preface and a new epilogue with updates through 2014 on the people, industries, and policies related to the T-shirt's life story. Using a simple, everyday T-shirt as a lens through which to explore the business, economic, moral, and political complexities of globalization in a historical context, Travels encapsulates a number of complex issues into a single identifiable object that will strike a chord with readers as they: Investigate the sources of sustained competitive advantage in different industries Examine the global economic and political forces that explain trade patters between countries Analyze complex moral issues related to globalization and international business Discover the importance of cultural and human elements in international trade This story of a simple product illuminates the many complex issues which businesspeople, policymakers, and global citizens are touched by every day.
A detailed system that will help you achieve your professional and personal goals Moving the Needle provides both the «kick in the pants» and the game plan many of us need to break out of the rut and get moving to achieve our goals. CEOs, vice presidents, professionals, military personnel, and even college students frequently express frustration at the entrenched status quo, in which initiating progress feels like moving mountains. This book lights a path toward continual improvement, helping readers first find a direction, then make the key transitions that jumpstart forward progress. This highly practical guide outlines a change process that can be applied to professional or personal goals, giving readers a concrete plan for making big things happen. Rather than blindly shooting for the moon, readers will formulate a solid, systematic, actionable plan that can only result in progress. In today's tenuous business climate, employers and employees alike can be glued to the ground, unsure of the path they should take, or whether they have the freedom to move forward. Moving the Needle helps readers clarify their current position, identify their optimum position, and formulate a workable strategy for getting from here to there. Find what «moving forward» means for your career and life Shake off the doldrums of routine and establish a culture of innovation Improve performance on a consistent basis, at every level Break the inertia and get moving in the right direction Stagnation is diametrically opposed to progress. Moving forward requires a vision, a plan, and the impetus to get things done. Those who sense that big things can happen need to get clear, get free, and start Moving the Needle.
Real leadership that leads to high engagement, higher performance, and a culture of accountability As president and CEO of Scripps Health, one of America's most prestigious health systems, Chris Van Gorder presided over a dramatic turnaround, catapulting Scripps from near bankruptcy to a dominant market position. While hospitals and health systems nationwide have laid people off or are closing their doors, Scripps is financially healthy, has added thousands of employees (even with a no-layoff philosophy), and has developed a reputation as a top employer. What are the secrets to this remarkable story? In The Front-Line Leader, Chris Van Gorder candidly shares his own incredible story, from police officer to CEO, and the leadership philosophy that drives all of his decisions and actions: people come first. Van Gorder began his unlikely career as a California police officer, which deeply instilled in him a sense of social responsibility, honesty, and public service. After being injured on the job and taking an early retirement, Van Gorder had to reinvent himself, taking a job as a hospital security director, a job that would change his life. Through hard work and determination, he rose to executive ranks, eventually becoming CEO of Scripps. But he never forgot his own roots and powerful work ethic, or the time when he was a security officer and a CEO would not make eye contact with him. Van Gorder leads from the front lines, making it a priority to know his employees and customers at every level. His values learned on the force—protecting the community, educating citizens, developing caring relationships, and ultimately doing the right thing—shape his approach to business. As much as companies talk about accountability, managers seldom understand what practical steps to take to achieve an ethic of service that makes accountability meaningful. The Front-Line Leader outlines specific tactics and steps anyone can use starting today to take responsibility, inspire others, and achieve breakout results for their organizations. Van Gorder reveals how a no-layoff philosophy led to higher accountability, how his own attention to seemingly minor details spurred larger change, and how his own high standards for himself and his team improved morale and productivity. From general strategy to the tiny, everyday steps leaders can take to create the kind of culture and accountability that translates into major competitive advantage, The Front-Line Leader charts a path to better leadership and a more engaged, higher-performing organization.
Your must-have tool for perfect project management Want to take your career to the next level and be a master of planning, organising, motivating and controlling resources to meet your goals? This easy-to-use guide has you covered! Project Management Checklists For Dummies takes the intimidation out of project management, and shows you step by step how to use rigorous self-check questions to save significant time—and headaches—in managing your projects effectively. Project Management Checklists For Dummies gives you to-do lists, hands-on checklists and helpful guidance for managing every phase of a project from start to finish. Before you know it, you'll be a star project manager as you organise, estimate and schedule projects in today's time-crunched, cost-conscious global business environment. Includes useful to-do lists and checklists to ensure all the necessary steps are completed Offers simple exercises to help clarify needs and requirements along the way Provides templates to complete, which can also be downloaded from Dummies.com and customised to suit your unique requirements Supplies hints and tips to help you along the way If you're a project manager—or any professional charged with managing a project and wondering where to start—Project Management Checklists For Dummies is your ready-made tool for success.
McKinsey & Company's #1 best-selling guide to corporate valuation, now in its sixth edition Valuation is the single best guide of its kind, helping financial professionals worldwide excel at measuring, managing, and maximizing shareholder and company value. This new sixth edition provides insights on the strategic advantages of value-based management, complete detailed instruction, and nuances managers should know about valuation and valuation techniques as applied to different industries, emerging markets, and other special situations. Valuation lies at the crossroads of corporate strategy and finance. In today's economy, it has become an essential role – and one that requires excellence at all points. This guide shows you everything you need to know, and gives you the understanding you need to be effective. Estimate the value of business strategies to drive better decision making Understand which business units a corporate parent is best positioned to own Assess major transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, and restructurings Design a capital structure that supports strategy and minimizes risk As the valuation function becomes ever more central to long- and short-term strategy, analysts and managers need an authoritative reference to turn to for answers to challenging situations. Valuation stands ahead of the field for its reputation, quality, and prestige, putting the solutions you need right at your fingertips.