Create real-time, highly interactive apps quickly with the powerful XMPP protocol XMPP is a robust protocol used for a wide range of applications, including instant messaging, multi-user chat, voice and video conferencing, collaborative spaces, real-time gaming, data synchronization, and search. This book teaches you how to harness the power of XMPP in your own apps and presents you with all the tools you need to build the next generation of apps using XMPP or add new features to your current apps. Featuring the JavaScript language throughout and making use of the jQuery library, the book contains several XMPP apps of increasing complexity that serve as ideal learning tools. Coverage Includes: Getting to Know XMPP Designing XMPP Applications Saying Hello: The First Application Exploring the XMPP Protocol: A Debugging Console Microblogging in Real Time: An Identica Client Talking with Friends: One-on-One Chat Exploring Services: Service Discovery and Browsing Group Chatting: A Multi-User Chat Client Publishing and Subscribing: A Shared Sketch Pad Introduction Writing with Friends: A Collaborative Text Editor Playing Games: Head to Head Tic-Tac-Toe Getting Attached: Bootstrapping BOSH Deploying XMPP Applications Writing Strophe Plug-ins Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Protect your clients – and yourself – from all kinds of financial chicanery and stupidity with this vital new book It doesn't matter if a financial error was made because of malice or ignorance – the end result is that you lose money. Luckily, you don't have to sit idly and take it. If you have Protecting Clients from Fraud, Incompetence and Scams, you can identify and avoid the dysfunctional sectors of the financial industry, steer clear of the fallout from the Madoff Era, and guide your clients to real, healthy, sustainable returns. This powerful book Pinpoints dysfunctional sectors within the financial industry and offers advice against frauds and scammers Shows how a team approach to asset management can ward off financial predators Offers practical strategies and tools to combat client risk for Risk and Asset Management Offering insightful information to protect your clients from all sorts of frauds and incompetence, this essential guide equips you with tips and techniques to spot the red flags of fraud and prevent it before it starts.
A straightforward guide focused on life cycle investing-namely aging, retirement, and pensions Life cycle investing and the implications of aging, retirement, and pensions continues to grow in importance. With people living longer, the relative and absolute number of retirees is growing while the number of workers contributing to pension funds is declining. This reliable resource develops a detailed economic analysis-at the micro (individual) and macro (economy wide) levels-which addresses issues regarding the economics of an aging population. Topics touched upon include retirement and the associated health care funding of the aged as well as social security and the asset classes that are considered asset-liability choices over time. The probability of achieving adequate return patterns from various investment strategies and asset classes is reviewed Shares rich insights on the aging, retirement, and pensions dilemma An assessment of the resources the real economy will be able to commit to non-workers is provided The three pillars of retirement are social security, company pensions, and private savings. Each of these pillars is confronted with a variety of asset-liability problems, and this book will addresses them.
The essential guide to getting a 401(k) plan back on track While a majority of workers have money invested in their 401(k) plans-and are relying on these funds for retirement-few truly understand how to manage and maintain these accounts, especially during the recent economic downturn. In 2008 alone, most 401(k) holdings declined by twenty percent. These losses, compounded by plan changes, have only led to more confusion. The Second Edition of Getting Started in Rebuilding Your 401(k) Account offers up-to-date answers to frequently asked questions regarding these accounts and contains simple strategies for improving 401(k) returns-including moving money out of company stock, rolling over plans when leaving an employer, and moving some holdings to FDIC insured banks. Explains the basics of 401(k) plans from what they are to how they work Discusses new rules in the 401 (k) arena, from automatic enrollment to how plans can be taxed Includes information on setting financial goals and choosing the investments that are right for you 401(k) plans have become a significant source of retirement funds for many. Learn how to make the most of them with the Second Edition of Getting Started in Rebuilding Your 401(k) Account.
A downloadable guide to investing in some of today’s most-promising smaller companies Investors are always on the look-out for new opportunities. This special digital report from Morningstar’s Paul Larson, equities strategist and Morningstar StockInvestor editor, reveals 10 lesser-known companies worth investigating. Everyone knows about Coca-Cola. But how many investors know how to seek out the next Coca Cola? With this timely report, Morningstar’s Larson shares some of his favorite investing gems, and introduces you to some great companies you’ve probably never heard of. Includes an introduction that discusses how Larson selected these companies Contains individual company analysis written by the Morningstar analyst that covers that respective company Provides relevant statistics to the investment decision—fair value price, P/E, and much more Smaller companies can hold great promise. And Morningstar’s guide provides the insight and research you need to invest wisely.
Empowerment produces the conditions for high performance. Especially for middle managers and below. Empowered cultures attract and retain talent. They produce high achievement, high accountability and high commitment. The Empowered Manager uncovers a roadmap to creating a more accountable culture in today's fragmented and virtual world. Bestselling author Peter Block is a true visionary: author of the classic Flawless Consulting, his work is about empowerment, stewardship, chosen accountability, and reconciliation of community. In this book, he returns his eye toward management to renew our efforts to create a shift in the traditional hierarchy. Twenty years after the original book, Block talks of why it is so difficult to both open the door to empowerment and more importantly, have people walk through it. It is more important than ever to create a culture in which all members of an organization are treated as entrepreneurs, giving them ownership over their role and responsibilities. This is in the face of the reality that most employees want safety, not the adventure of empowerment. Peter enhances the first edition of the book by acknowledging employees wish for dependency. Their longing for the days when a job carried a promise of a future, and companies cared more about the product and the people, than about the money. This is written primarily for people in the middle. Good managers and employees who care more about doing good work and treating people right, than ambition and making it into the ruling class. The upper middle and below is where there is the greatest need for great management. Which builds on valuing strengths, and allowing talent the space to stretch and achieve. Almost independent of the power points of people at the top. This book shows you how a new approach to management empowers all employees at all levels, and culminates in better business outcomes for the entire organization. Help shape a culture of commitment Develop the political skills to negotiate successfully Take responsibility for your actions Learn to fail up, and face setbacks with courage If you feel controlled by bureaucracy, unrewarded for creativity, and from a distance, powerless to control your own destiny, this book is the breath of fresh air your career has been craving. Timeless tips from a master of business strategy alongside a framework for more effective management makes The Empowered Manager a must-read guide for anyone doing business today.
Grow revenue by leveraging behavioral marketing during your next campaign Behavioral Marketing guides you in using relatively new marketing tactics to grow revenue and create process efficiencies. An incredibly valuable text, this book defines the key principles of behavioral marketing—including customer journey mapping, channel-level planning, data capture and hygiene, campaign creation, delivery best practices, and measurement/optimization—and shows you how to fix highly inefficient processes while implementing your next marketing initiative. Within the pages of this resource are the secrets to improving processes and becoming more 'revenue predictable'—things that benefit businesses in virtually any industry. Additionally, this book provides you with case studies that spotlight the successes and challenges experienced by other marketing pros, and offer up key lessons to assist you in sharing their triumphs and avoiding their pitfalls. Behavioral marketing, a term first coined in 2008, has become increasingly important as digital marketing tactics have becoming increasingly popular. This particular facet of marketing focuses on responding to the actions, clicks, and behaviors of both current and prospective customers—and allows you to use this data to adapt your marketing efforts to customer preferences. The results of this dynamic marketing approach are often a more predictable revenue stream and a more efficient marketing department, both of which any business would welcome! Understand the key principles of behavioral marketing Create a more 'revenue predictable' business environment Examine case studies across multiple industries Discover how to achieve revenue growth and process efficiencies with the right behavioral marketing tactics Behavioral Marketing is a unique resource that brings value and insight to all marketing professionals using digital marketing tactics.
Build cool Raspberry Pi projects with no experience required! Adventures in Raspberry Pi, 3rd Edition is the fun guide to learning programming. Starting from the very basics and building skill upon skill, you'll learn developing fundamentals—even if you've never programmed before. Learning is exciting when you're working your way through cool projects, but the concepts you learn and the skills you master will take you further than you ever thought possible. You'll learn how your Raspberry Pi 3 works and what it can do as you create stories and games, program shapes, code music, and even build Minecraft worlds with projects designed specifically for kids 11 to 15. Author Carrie Anne Philbin is a former high school teacher, and she showcases her skills with clear, easy to follow instructions and explanations every step of the way. If you're interested in programming but find other books hard to understand, this book is your ideal starting point for mastering the Raspberry Pi. Inexpensive, non-intimidating, yet surprisingly versatile, the Raspberry Pi 3 is an ideal way to learn programming. Updated to align with the newest board, this book will teach you fundamental programming skills while having a ton of fun! Get acquainted with your Raspberry Pi's bits and pieces Take control of your Pi's «insides» with simple commands Program games, code music, and build a jukebox Discover where your new skills can take you next The tiny, credit-card sized Raspberry Pi has become a huge hit among kids—and adults—interested in programming. It does everything your desktop can do, but with a few basic programming skills, you can make it do so much more. With simple instructions, fun projects, and solid skills, Adventures in Raspberry Pi is the ultimate kids' programming guide!
The best-selling author of Big Data is back, this time with a unique and in-depth insight into how specific companies use big data. Big data is on the tip of everyone's tongue. Everyone understands its power and importance, but many fail to grasp the actionable steps and resources required to utilise it effectively. This book fills the knowledge gap by showing how major companies are using big data every day, from an up-close, on-the-ground perspective. From technology, media and retail, to sport teams, government agencies and financial institutions, learn the actual strategies and processes being used to learn about customers, improve manufacturing, spur innovation, improve safety and so much more. Organised for easy dip-in navigation, each chapter follows the same structure to give you the information you need quickly. For each company profiled, learn what data was used, what problem it solved and the processes put it place to make it practical, as well as the technical details, challenges and lessons learned from each unique scenario. Learn how predictive analytics helps Amazon, Target, John Deere and Apple understand their customers Discover how big data is behind the success of Walmart, LinkedIn, Microsoft and more Learn how big data is changing medicine, law enforcement, hospitality, fashion, science and banking Develop your own big data strategy by accessing additional reading materials at the end of each chapter
Reputation management techniques that work amidst the unceasing flow of information Reputation Strategy and Analytics in a Hyper-Connected World is a complete guide to corporate communications and reputation management. Covering a range of scenarios from ideal to catastrophic, this book provides a clear blueprint for preparation, execution, and beyond. The discussion focuses on data-driven, evidence-based strategies for the modern digital economy, providing actionable frameworks, practical roadmaps, and step-by-step blueprints for deploying advance analytics, predictive modeling, and big data techniques to successfully manage communications and reputation. You'll learn how the right tools and people get the job done quickly, effectively, and cost-effectively, and how to identify and acquire the ones you need. Coverage includes the latest technology and cutting-edge applications, bringing you up to speed on what excellence in communications can realistically be. We live in an age of interconnectedness and transparency, and information travels at the speed of light to reach nearly every corner of the globe. This book shows you the key strategies and operational tactics required to respond successfully to financially damaging assaults on your company's reputation. Execute world-class corporate communications Prepare for best- and worst-possible case scenarios Manage organizational reputation in the digital economy Pick the right team and the right tools to get the job done Stories, rumors, lies – there is no safe haven. Big data, cloud, and mobile technologies are fueling a perfect storm of immense proportions, overwhelming the capabilities of organizations and individuals attempting to manage their brands and reputations when hit with damaging information or harmful stories. Reputation Strategy and Analytics in a Hyper-Connected World shows you navigate the never-ending information stream to keep your company out of the undertow.