The classic guide to cashing in on your million-dollar idea Whether you've invented a great new product, or you have an idea for an app, an online business, or a reality show, How to License Your Million Dollar Idea delivers the information you need to snag a great licensing deal. Now in its third edition, this book has become the go-to source for budding inventors and entrepreneurs who have great ideas and want to cash in on them without putting themselves in financial risk. Licensing is the way to make that happen and this book explains exactly how it's done. You'll get tested advice on how to protect your ideas and find a licensee for new products, apps, TV game shows, websites, software, and more. You'll also learn how to develop your creative thinking skills and objectively evaluate your ideas. Explains how to protect your new idea with or without patents and copyrights Directs you in finding the perfect person at the right company and on how to prepare a presentation that gets you to a «yes» Reviews sample licensing contracts to help you understand what your creativity and achievement entitles you to You'll also read accounts from profitable inventors on their own goof-ups and brilliant moves along their paths to success.
Overcome ERM implementation challenges by taking cues from leading global organizations Implementing Enterprise Risk Management is a practical guide to establishing an effective ERM system by applying best practices at a granular level. Case studies of leading organizations including Mars, Statoil, LEGO, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, and Astro illustrate the real-world implementation of ERM on a macro level, while also addressing how ERM informs the response to specific incidents. Readers will learn how top companies are effectively constructing ERM systems to positively drive financial growth and manage operational and outside risk factors. By addressing the challenges of adopting ERM in large organizations with different functioning silos and well-established processes, this guide provides expert insight into fitting the new framework into cultures resistant to change. Enterprise risk management covers accidental losses as well as financial, strategic, operational, and other risks. Recent economic and financial market volatility has fueled a heightened interest in ERM, and regulators and investors have begun to scrutinize companies' risk-management policies and procedures. Implementing Enterprise Risk Management provides clear, demonstrative instruction on establishing a strong, effective system. Readers will learn to: Put the right people in the right places to build a strong ERM framework Establish an ERM system in the face of cultural, logistical, and historical challenges Create a common language and reporting system for communicating key risk indicators Create a risk-aware culture without discouraging beneficial risk-taking behaviors ERM is a complex endeavor, requiring expert planning, organization, and leadership, with the goal of steering a company's activities in a direction that minimizes the effects of risk on financial value and performance. Corporate boards are increasingly required to review and report on the adequacy of ERM in the organizations they administer, and Implementing Enterprise Risk Management offers operative guidance for creating a program that will pass muster.
Tap into the powerful techniques of professional actors and great communicators The Pin Drop Principle is a step-by-step master class for anyone wishing to become a more confident and credible communicator. Lewis and Mills believe all business professionals ought to deliver their message in such an engaging way that one could literally hear a pin drop when they speak. The secret to doing so comes from an unusual world: professional acting. By activating «objective» and «intention»—the main tools of actors (and great communicators)—business people can give their messages meaning and relevance, so the recipients walk away knowing why the message is important and what is in it for them. Empowers business professionals with performance-based delivery techniques—from storytelling to vocal dynamics—essential to becoming a great communicator Written for anyone wishing to engage listeners, establish instant credibility, influence key decision makers, and create a positive lasting impression Based on the Pinnacle Method, one of the most popular and groundbreaking communication skills training methods The Pin Drop Principle is an accessible resource for anyone who routinely needs to present ideas to large or small groups, convey feedback effectively, conduct difficult conversations, and persuade others.
What if Canada 's so-called environmental nightmare was really an engineering triumph and the key to a stable and sustainable future? For years, Canadians have been hearing nothing but bad news out of the Athabasca Oil Sands. From 20th Century economists decrying it as a perpetual money-loser in the face of more easily-extracted foreign oil to green groups around the world declaring it the world's worst industrial enterprise, sometimes it seems as though no good could ever come from this so-called dirty resource. But what if developing Canada's Oil Sands was the key to bridging the gap between current petroleum-based economies and the alternative energies that aren't ready for market yet? What if it meant eliminating the threat of Peak Oil and providing economic stability not just for Canada and the rest of North America, but for the world? And what if the environmental costs of the resource were both not nearly as dire as some would have you believe, but currently better than many other options with the industry already making huge advances in sustainability, energy use and water reclamation? That's exactly the case that Alastair Sweeny, author of BlackBerry Planet, argues is at the core of the Athabasca Sands: a bright future. By digging into the past, present and future of oil sands technology, Sweeny cuts through the hype and hysteria and makes a solid and engaging case that the Sands aren't the environmental boogeyman set to destroy humanity, but rather our best hope for a truly stable and sustainable future.
A comprehensive guide to the changing face of valuation in private firm M&A transactions Based on the author's extensive professional experience as well as her rigorous academic research, this book describes a more sensible approach to using discounts in private company valuations and provides readers with a deeper appreciation for the need to weigh a much broader range of influences on value in the M&A process. Does the idiosyncrasy of family-owned business influence transaction multiples? What of regional market differences and differing market environments over time? How do you estimate the influence of the subprime on the transaction process? With the help of fascinating case studies drawn from an eclectic array of M&A transactions, including a beauty contest, author Kerstin Dodel answers those and other central questions about the M&A process. Among other things, she vividly demonstrates that the ultimate price paid in such a transaction reflects not only a target company's unique characteristics, but the varying motivations and expectations of each of the participants within the context of a competitive M&A process. Dodel has an extensive background in the profession and her research draws upon rigorous scholarship and her years of working at Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, and other leading global financial institutions Emphasis is given to the post credit crunch environment, and responding to regulators' increasing rejection of over-simplified procedures for firm valuation
In today's world of business where organizational boundaries are blurry, intense competition dictates rapid change, and complex issues and relationships cut across departments, business units, and even companies, the old hierarchical command-and-control management approach is no longer sufficient. Distributed leadership approaches are necessary and no one individual can do it all. In fact, an enterprise is more than just the traditional organization. Value today is often created not just within a company, but also across a network of companies. Being able to connect the various components and to work collaboratively within the network is essential to maintaining competitive advantage. Leaders today must be capable of identifying potential partners, initiating and maintaining relationships, resolving conflicts, and reconfiguring their relationships. Cross-Enterprise Leadership is a new model for success in today's world of complexity and ambiguity. Leaders who adopt this approach will be more comfortable dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, complexity and time pressures, and with creating value through networks of relationships. Small, domestic, entrepreneurial companies are, by their very nature, cross-enterprise focused. Entrepreneurs will tell you that they live in a world of uncertainty and ambiguity and that they constantly need to adjust on the fly. Equally, large multi-national companies like Wal-Mart, Nestle, or Coca-Cola are inherently complex and issues and relationships cut across functions, levels, geographies, and companies. Cross-Enterprise Leadership goes beyond a functional perspective to understanding the complexity of business issues from all angles and how they can be integrated, how leaders can rely almost entirely on influence when they may be operating without power or authority, and how they can develop the capacity to make decisions and implement them in an environment filled with uncertainty and complexity. Most managers operate like the traditional orchestra-waiting to do their written part. But there is no tidy score for business today. CEL enables today's leaders to be more like a jazz band, improvising and building off of one another, creating music in real time and in relationship to one another.
What is cool? Who knows. But there is one thing every marketer does know– nothing increases sales like cool does. In The Cool Factor, Del Breckenfeld, a long-time marketer at Fender® Musical Instruments Corp., presents an inside look at how Fender became the coolest name in musical instruments and how marketers at Fender partnered with cool products, musicians, and events to up their «cool factor» even more. If you're a marketer, The Cool Factor offers lessons for keeping your brand on top.
You can't lead with your feet on the desk . . . or your brain on hold. Ed Fuller brings experience, intelligence, and heart to this inspiring guide to building relationships and the good things that follow when you do. The message is delivered in an engaging style that keeps you entertained and leaves you with lasting wisdom. —MICHAEL V. DRAKE, MD, Chancellor, University of California, Irvine «The world of tourism, hospitality, and hotels has become a very global, complex, and diverse industry. No one knows this better than Ed Fuller. In this thoughtfully written text, Ed is speaking to business students, managers, and executives of all industries through his rich experience in the global hotel industry. We have found many great examples within these pages of how we can conduct business better, and I would suggest that they are not only relevant in the United States but throughout the world.» —ANDREW H. FEINSTEIN, James A. Collins Distinguished Chair and Dean, The Collins College of Hospitality Management, Cal Poly Pomona «The World Travel & Tourism Council services six continents. Ed's book will empower you to apply many of the principles that we employ globally, whether it's in Denver, Dubai, or Düsseldorf. These principles will give you a competitive edge in your markets immediately.» —JEAN-CLAUDE BAUMGARTEN, President, World Travel & Tourism Council «Ed Fuller's generous layers of personal experiences and his crisp narrative make his stern message easy to understand. Take my advice, read his book before you take another plane on a foreign business trip. It will change the way you behave.» —GEOFFREY KENT, founder and Executive Chairman, Abercrombie & Kent «Let me tell you what Ed's book isn't: it's not a primer on how to shake hands or fold your napkin in another country. It's an incredibly rich insight into leadership through well-earned personal relationships and experiences that American business executives need to embrace to succeed in the global economy.» —ROGER DOW, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association «Ed's book gives the student, manager, and executive practical experience in dealing with unique situations, new relationships, and creative problem-solving approaches that are broadly applicable in the business world, no matter where you live or whom you deal with. The insights will prove valuable to your personal growth.» —ANDY POLICANO, Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine
An inside look at what makes a successful financial services company Irv Rothman may not have considered a career in the financial services early on, but he ended up in leadership positions at AT&T, Compaq and, for over a decade, Hewlett-Packard. His consistent record of success and insider perspective make him the perfect guide to the art of building and growing a financial services company, and in Out-Executing the Competition he shares his remarkable story and years of experience, giving readers a glimpse into his numerous accomplishments and providing takeaways they can apply to their own companies, whatever the industry. An engaging and lively account of Rothman's career focusing on his work at financial services companies during some of the most economically challenging periods of the past thirty years, the book explores the methods and tactics he used to help his companies not only weather financial uncertainty, but to thrive. Tells the story of financial services company expert Irv Rothman, in his own words Includes invaluable insights into how to build a financial services company that can survive and thrive in even the toughest economic climate Helps readers working at financial services companies and in other industries to construct solid businesses that can outperform their competition Part biography, part how-to guide, Out-Executing the Competition is the ultimate inside look at building a financial services company that's sure to succeed.
How to build, design, and deliver a fire-breathing, wing-flapping, roar-bellowing behemoth of a presentation Unlike most presentation books that say the same things regarding presentation design and delivery (less is more, get rid of bullets and use images, emulate Steve Jobs, and so on), How to Be a Presentation God actually divulges step-by-step secrets for how to build, design, and deliver blockbuster presentations. By providing entertaining and clever presentation insights, veteran presenter Scott Schwertly gives you the in's and out's for presenting yourself, your business, and your cause with an easy-to-implement approach. Focuses on content, design, and delivery Author is a regular speaker at national and regional industry conferences such as PowerPoint Live and Presentation Camps, and is the founder of the award-winning Ethos3 Communications Author is the creator of an app, Present, that landed in the top-20 iPhone apps in the Business category on iTunes How to be a Presentation God will ensure that your presentations reach a new level of effectiveness.