Books in the ISSN series

This book identifies some of the most significant complexities faced by project managers when attempting to implement the PMBOK framework in global projects and provides pointers for existing or aspiring managers and project managers.Project management is a discipline that is practiced in today's organizations on a global scale. The project manager's role has therefore become more complex as projects are carried out in different geographical locations using team members who come from a diverse range of languages, cultures, and world views.Project managers improve their chances of success when they seek to understand the cultures and context of the environment with which they interact on a day-to-day basis and modify the way they manage, communicate, and organize. This book identifies some of the most significant complexities faced by project managers when attempting to implement the PMBOK framework in global projects and provides pointers for existing or aspiring managers and project managers. Further, a framework is proposed for assessing and building global project capability and process maturity.

This book introduces options and how they work-to those who are ready to learn how they work, as well as emphasizes the application of time-tested option trading rules.Buying and selling options is the fastest growing investment strategy when compared with other trading venues such as buying and selling stocks, futures, and foreign exchange currencies. Millions of investors who understand the financial leverage offered by options are earning impressive, steady incomes by buying and selling call and put options.The successful investors learn how options work. They develop watch lists of trade candidates and study price charts to find prospective trades. And they apply rules-based option trading strategies that succeed much more often than they fail. Even when they lose, their rules limit their losses to acceptable levels.This book was written by a successful option trader. He introduces options and how they work to those who are ready to learn how they work. The book emphasizes the application of time-tested option trading rules. These rules use price charts, market volatility, key option values, and risk graphs to achieve high-probability option trading outcomes. The book also details ten option trade examples that include trade setups, entries, trade management techniques, and supporting illustrations.

This book will help business/MBA students, aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders to think like entrepreneurs in 12 critical focus areas.Both success and failure start in the mind. From Tamiko's years of practical experience in coaching entrepreneurs, she has uncovered the #1 reason that some of her clients succeeded while others failed: mindset. This book will help business/MBA students, aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders to think like entrepreneurs in 12 critical focus areas.Readers will uncover hidden thoughts that sabotage success as an entrepreneur. The author will cause you to experience a paradigm shift from an employee mindset to an entrepreneurial mindset. The text provides takeaways and practical action items to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking that will revolutionize the approach to business.

This business analytics (BA) text discusses the models based on fact-based data to measure past business performance to guide an organization in visualizing and predicting future business performance and outcomes.It provides a comprehensive overview of analytics in general with an emphasis on predictive analytics. Given the booming interest in analytics and data science, this book is timely and informative. It brings many terms, tools, and methods of analytics together.The first three chapters provide an introduction to BA, importance of analytics, types of BA-descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive-along with the tools and models. Business intelligence (BI) and a case on descriptive analytics are discussed. Additionally, the book discusses on the most widely used predictive models, including regression analysis, forecasting, data mining, and an introduction to recent applications of predictive analytics-machine learning, neural networks, and artificial intelligence. The concluding chapter discusses on the current state, job outlook, and certifications in analytics.

The business world has been hearing about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain. AI was the superstar topic of conversations at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this past January 2019. Here, Nick Brestoff, a former attorney who now holds eight (8) patents for business applications that use AI and the breakthrough form of AI -- "e;deep learning,"e; provides his readers with a "e;no math"e; explanation of deep learning that's followed by numerous applications in a wide variety of contexts. In this book, he opens the door to his journey of understanding and innovation, all in an effort to empower his readers to come up with business-relevant innovations of their own.

The PR Knowledge Book is for everyone, irrespective of where you are in the world-whether a student starting out in this industry, self-employed, a home business, small business, start-up, charity, or any other type of organization wanting to embark on your PR journey or someone just plain curious about what it entails. This book covers everything within the world of PR from how to create a brand, how to use social media, how to be newsworthy, to how to contact the media, how to have a global mind-set, the power of networking, and more. It is written in an easy style, packed with powerful tips, proven tools, and real-life case studies from around the world. In 12 chapters you will discover how to get your brand out there so you can attract clients and new business.

This book explains and demonstrates the concept of momentum in chart analysis, which is of great interest to technical analysts.It includes complete explanations of overbought and oversold, where momentum fits in the broader science of technical analysis, and the importance of moving average crossover. Five major momentum oscillators are explained in depth: relative strength index, MACD, rate of change, stochastics, and Bollinger Bands. Finally, the book provides trading guidance based on momentum, involving coordination of oscillators with other indicators, reversal, and continuation signals.Momentum powerfully identifies the strength and speed of price movement. Through the use of index calculations, momentum is effective when used as a confirming indicator for other signals found in price, volume, or moving averages. Often overlooked by traders focused solely on price reversals or continuation signals, momentum provides a context to price behavior and to the price trend, and can vastly improves the timing of both entry and exit of trades.

This book provides a short introduction to the philosophy of humanism and discusses how and why it is being applied to business and why it is so effective when you do so.You can't understand humanistic business management unless you understand what humanism is. This book provides a short introduction to the philosophy of humanism and discusses how and why it is being applied to business and why it is so effective when you do so. Humanism helps us prioritize human value as important. It supports positive interpersonal relationships and collaborative and respectful decision-making. Since all businesses are in the business of solving problems, good problem solving is essential to good business.Humanism has already transformed many other disciplines including psychology, medicine, nursing, and more. Additionally, humanism is foundational to the practice of human resources, without which businesses cannot operate. It is important for business managers to understand the philosophy fully so they can understand how to not only manage people more effectively, but how to operate their businesses in a way that helps the communities in which they operate. This book will provide the primer they need to create more effective and ethical businesses.

In this second volume for clinicians who have transitioned into administration, we continue the journey to advance management skills. Developing business skills in hiring, human resource management, and financial management will help garner and administer the resources that support a team's important work. Readers will learn to embrace conflict and handle it constructively, as well as deepen skills for developing personal and team member strengths to enhance performance and sustain success as a health care manager.

This book explores the basic tenets of service excellence, opening to distinguish customer service from service excellence, and explore the driving aspects of strategy and philosophy.The brand promise to customers creates expectations; hooks targeted and segmented customers into a relationship. Service operations deliver expectations, delight, or on occasion, disappointment, and marketing responds to create loyalty, further delight, or recover the relationship.Freshness of product or service offering, the injection of a characterful sense of fun, and sensitive personalization of service combine to deliver an authentic, pleasurable and memorable service experience prompting much sought loyalty and advocacy. In turn, staff are happy, profits rise and the organization has long-term sustainability.The first volume offers some theoretical background, while the second suggests mechanisms, tools, and techniques to help embed to excellence as the foundation of value that the organization delivers. Both contain practical examples and a self-assessment diagnostic tool to identify organizational areas of strength, and aspects to improve.

This book will help you find faults and then solutions to establish a solid foundation for your company and, when required, quickly fix, coordinate recovery, raise finance, and advise you on how you can run a profitable business.Global statistics proclaim that 80 percent of new businesses fail within the first 18 months-shocking and true, but preventable. Many entrepreneurs use the poor excuse of undercapitalization, but recently over $1 trillion was invested in new projects. There are more simple and basic reasons for failure. The Rainmaker is thus called on to assist entrepreneurs to succeed past that financial ruin barrier of 18 months by helping them to properly structure and run a company that meets ultimate best practice solutions and systems-which are realistic and competitively better than peers.This book looks at how The Rainmaker is able to bring sunshine to desperate companies, by finding faults and then matching solutions to establish a solid foundation for your company and, when required, quickly fix, coordinate recovery, raise finance, and advise you on how you can run a profitable business. The Rainmaker is a combination of troubleshooter, advisor, mentor, and financier.

This volume will assist readers in fitting big data analysis into their service-based organizations.Volume I of this two-volume series focuses on the role of big data in service delivery systems. It discusses the definition and orientation to big data, applications of it in service delivery systems, how to obtain results that can affect/enhance service delivery, and how to build an effective big data organization.This volume will assist readers in fitting big data analysis into their service-based organizations. It will also help readers understand how to improve the use of big data to enhance their service-oriented organizations.

This research based book offers insight to the changing perspectives regarding FDI from traditional theory to new theory, from local to global link, and from opportunity to responsibility.Readers will understand the various factors, determinants, and theories that underpin the presence of firms in the global economy. The author illustrates, by way of case studies, specific implications of FDI policy and practice on issues like ecology and environment, technology transfer, labor market, and relevance of further liberalization policies in FDI in the context of Indian economy.The coverage for such an important theme is too vast to cover in a single volume; therefore, this volume restricts its analysis to a select few themes in hopes that this endeavor will trigger an ongoing debate on myriad aspects and concerns of FDI on countries like India.

This book is designed to provide insights into an understanding of the best practices and contemporary approaches to the identification, assessment, selection, and development of future leaders of an organization with a focus on executive and transition coaching as a development tool.A company's leadership pipeline is expected to deliver its next generation of leaders who are capable of leading now. It is evident that conventional leadership development practices are no longer adequate. Organizations need to incorporate the next-generation leadership competencies globally in order to address the development needs of their rising leaders. The current digital transformation that underpins the Fourth Industrial Revolution (also known as Industry 4.0) has ushered in a new business environment that is fast, open, and responsive, resulting in a number of organizational and leadership challenges. How do organizations develop the next generation of leaders to meet these challenges? This book is designed to provide insights into an understanding of the best practices and contemporary approaches to the identification, assessment, selection, and development of future leaders of an organization with a focus on executive and transition coaching as a development tool.

The way we design and work within our organizations is profoundly impacted by digital technologies and complexity. Speed of flow is critical for innovation, production, communication, and delivery. Arguably, silo-based, functional hierarchies are failing to guarantee the necessary speed of flow as well as quality, and involvement of people. Applying techniques is insufficient. What is required is a radical rethink to compete and thrive. Nothing less than a new way of understanding -- an epistemological framework - will do.This book aims to provide such a framework and show how we can break free from silos and silo thinking through a truly systemic approach. It presents an operational solution that allows organizations to effectively adopt digital technologies and reap their benefits. It highlights the new kind of leadership that our increasingly network-based and distributed business world requires to achieve sustainable prosperity.

If you are eager to find out the similarities between sports coach and business manager, and what lessons from the world of sports coaching can be applied to both sports and business management, then this is the book for you.It is commonly believed that, in order to achieve success in coaching, the most important things are to be a good teacher and a pedagogue, and to master in theory and practice technical knowledge about technique, tactics, and conditioning. The aforementioned is no longer sufficient to achieve a successful coach's career, and thus for the successful running of the club.Sports coaches represent a significant source of new values for sports organizations. They are one of the key factors in the business and sports success of sports organizations. Not only the competitive success, but also the business success of sports organization depends on them. In this book you will find out that today, for successful running of the sports organization, the knowledge of communication and marketing skills is as important as the expertise and the sports results of the coach. The bottom line is that better sports coaching delivers better business results.

Department of Startup: Why Every Fortune 500 Should Have One aims to help CEOs, presidents, and human resource practitioners on how they can transform their large corporation to thrive in a fast, social media conscious, and unforgiving market a la startup.The ascent of startups on the Fortune 500 ranking, displacing some of the more notable companies, raised not only attention but also questions. Fundamentally, startups are built on a very different organizational culture as compared to a traditional Fortune 500. Could these cultural differences be the reason startups are in the forefront of technology innovation, disrupting industries dominated by more established competitors and thriving in today's volatile business environment?Department of Startup: Why Every Fortune 500 Should Have One aims to help CEOs, presidents, and human resource practitioners on how they can transform their large corporation to thrive in a fast, social media conscious, and unforgiving market a la startup.

This book is for everybody that wants to learn a little bit more about how cybersecurity is becoming more relevant in the connected world, both present and future.As much as companies have increased their awareness about cybersecurity, not all of them are taking effective measures to protect themselves and their customers. Many "e;smart"e; things or "e;IoT"e; devices get connected every year, allowing the creation of more efficient and even new products and services. However, this also brings new risks, considering also that these type of systems present additional challenges for applying cybersecurity measures. This often leaves many doors open to malicious hackers!This book explains different ways how these systems get exposed to cyber-attacks in a friendly language using real cases as examples. Business professionals and nontechnical readers can bene t from this book by learning that cybersecurity is not an IT problem but an organizational problem. As a leader and decision maker, having an understanding of IoT cyberrisks can help you to improve the preparedness of your organization to prevent and deal with cyberattacks. Overall this book is for everybody that wants to learn a little bit more about how cybersecurity is becoming more relevant in the connected world, both present and future.

Getting to Market with Your MVP: Small Business and Entrepreneur Success is a book to assist college students, new entrepreneurs, and current business owners in their understanding of how to bring a concept, product, or new business to market. The minimum viable product (MVP) is the foundation of the business and the staple for sustainable growth. Many businesses fail due to the inability of establishing a core concept, or primary product to introduce to the market. This book is intended to provide a concise method of developing a business strategy for successful entry into the market while eliminating the frustration of trial and error. Through this work, readers learn the difference between the purpose of a business plan, market analysis, and a feasibility study. Readers will also understand the difference between a good idea and a great business model. This book serves as a tool for increasing the opportunity for success when launching a product, service, or a business.

This book provides practical guidance on the knowledge and skills required for managers whose role involves the management of the relationship with and the performance of strategically important suppliers.Strategic suppliers provide critical products and services to their clients. In a production environment, if the supply chain for critical components breaks down and delivery dates are missed, the production line may stop. If an IT supplier fails to deliver key system development projects on time, the implications for the business can be catastrophic. With the growth of outsourcing, where entire business functions are delegated to a supplier, the dependency on them is further increased; with offshoring there are additional complexities. An organization's ability to manage its strategic supplier base effectively is central to its performance, competitiveness, and future success.This book provides practical guidance on the knowledge and skills required for managers whose role involves the management of the relationship with and the performance of strategically important suppliers. Although the focus is on the management of suppliers during the live relationship, the approach is holistic as the entire supplier management process is discussed in detail using a Supplier Lifecycle model. There are five stages-identify the business requirement, research the supply market, carry out procurement and supplier selection, integrate and transition to the new supplier and their services, and manage the delivery of the products and services for the contracted period.

Considering the increasing importance of renewable energy for climate change mitigation, this book provides an overview of how renewable energy sources are integrated into the grid to promote better understanding among students and business professionals in the utility sector and across industries.Following an overview of the technical and historical development of the electric grid in the U.S. and Europe, this guide reviews hydropower, solar photovoltaics, wind energy, fuel cell, and battery technologies. The author also presents models for the connection of these renewable energy sources from large-scale to on-site and community power/microgrids. The models are explained through case studies in the developed and developing worlds that explore how technical evaluations are conducted, policy incentives implemented, and project finance applied.Considering the increasing importance of renewable energy for climate change mitigation, this book provides an overview of how renewable energy sources are integrated into the grid to promote better understanding among students and business professionals in the utility sector and across industries. Most literature on grid interconnection is highly technical, assuming an in-depth understanding of electrical engineering. With the rise of clean technologies and the diversity of interconnection models, this guide fills a gap in the existing literature by equipping non-technical business managers with the salient information they need to make critical decisions for their organizations.

This book is intended for practitioners, students, and researchers who are interested in designing, using, assessing, and researching performance management systems.Managerial personnel involved in such activity will hold many beliefs about how their organization functions. This text uses the philosophy of pragmatic constructivism to show how managerial beliefs that underlie action can be made explicit and so facilitate their assessment and improvement. This involves recognizing and integrating the four dimensions (facts, possibilities, values, and communication) that represent how managers relate to the reality in which they operate.When managerial beliefs are based on an accurate representation of reality, they are more likely to be successful. Problems occur where reality is misrepresented in managerial beliefs. This is especially so in performance management, as the book illustrates using real-world examples. Specific topics addressed include planning and decision making, performance management of investment center managers, strategic performance management, and operational performance management.

This book explores the basic tenets of service excellence, opening to distinguish customer service from service excellence, and explore the driving aspects of strategy and philosophy.The brand promise to customers creates expectations; hooks targeted and segmented customers into a relationship. Service operations deliver expectations, delight, or on occasion, disappointment, and marketing responds to create loyalty, further delight, or recover the relationship.Freshness of product or service offering, the injection of a characterful sense of fun, and sensitive personalization of service combine to deliver an authentic, pleasurable and memorable service experience prompting much sought loyalty and advocacy. In turn, staff are happy, profits rise and the organization has long-term sustainability.The first volume offers some theoretical background, while the second suggests mechanisms, tools, and techniques to help embed to excellence as the foundation of value that the organization delivers. Both contain practical examples and a self-assessment diagnostic tool to identify organizational areas of strength, and aspects to improve.

This book adopts a nontechnical approach to explaining the basis for trade between countries and the role of firms in global trade and describes the effect of tariffs and fluctuations in exchange rates on a company's sales, costs, and profitsThe study of international economics has never been more vital than it is today. The past global financial crisis, the economic uncertainty in many advanced countries, increasing barriers to international trade, and currency crises have created challenges for both policy makers and corporate decision makers involved in international trade and finance. This book provides a concise and rigorous approach to the understanding of international trade and finance without relying on mathematical models or graphs. It explains the basis and pattern of trade, the effects of trade and trade policies on companies, national welfare, and the global economy. It explains the determination and changes in exchange rates. Finally, it describes the operation of the economy and examines the impact of national economic policies on the domestic economy and the rest of the world.Corporate managers and MBA students must learn the complex interrelationships between trade policies; the actions of central banks; and changes in government spending and taxes on interest rates, prices, exchange rates, and economic activity. This book adopts a nontechnical approach to explaining the basis for trade between countries and the role of firms in global trade and describes the effect of tariffs and fluctuations in exchange rates on a company's sales, costs, and profits.

This book introduces new healthcare managers to the skills they need to transition and succeed in their managerial roles.More experienced managers can benefit, too, from examples and collected insights of other managers who were interviewed and from examples in recent and revisited literature. The author covers both "e;hard"e; business skills and "e;soft"e; people/organizational skills. We draw from books, articles, examples, and managerial experience of the author and colleagues at different organizational levels and throughout healthcare settings and professions.

The 360 Degree CEO provides the tools and insights to successfully navigate your personal and professional journeys while, elevating your health, your relationships, your results, and your organization's performance.Where are the courageous and CEOs, leading with integrity and generating notable business returns? This is the question Lorraine A. Moore wanted to highlight-for herself and her clients.This book provides an amalgamation of lessons from Moore's work with some of the best leaders in Fortune 1000 companies, privately held rms, mid-cap businesses, and not-for-profits. Drawing on real-life examples in her work with executives and boards of world-class technology firms, banks, credit unions, professional services, mining, retail, healthcare, energy/oil and gas, and more, Moore highlights the industry agnostic every leader can adopt.The 360 Degree CEO provides the tools and insights to successfully navigate your personal and professional journeys while, elevating your health, your relationships, your results, and your organization's performance.