Competitive Advantage in Investing

The source of competitive advantage has shifted in many organizations from reliability to innovation and flexibility. But what does it take for an organization that innovates to then manage effectively? In this follow-up to Built to Change, Ed Lawler argues that it is a combination of the right structure and the right people. First, organizations must decide what structure they are: are you a high-involvement organization that has products and services that require a high level of coordination and cooperation among employees? Or do you have a more global competitor structure in which you are constantly bringing in new talent and technological expertise? Are you a mixture of both? Lawler outlines the unique human capital strategy for each approach, shows what it looks like in action, and provides the foundation and tools for creating competitive and innovative organizations.

In this book the author explains that managers must build human capital and engender employee engagement by managing them almost not at all, by attending instead to the factors and circumstances that make them successful. In other words, managers must play their role from offstage and out of the limelight. Based on a survey of over 16,000 employees, the author presents Towers-Watson' management performance model: Executing tasks, Building relationships and performance capability, and Energizing change. Additionally, managers must create an atmosphere of authenticity and trust.

In much the same way that Good to Great uncovered hitherto hidden secrets of highly successful companies, Navarro’s Always a Winner uses extensive research to reveal the overriding importance of learning how to forecast and strategically manage the business cycle for competitive advantage. In doing so, this book provocatively explores a critical aspect of successful management virtually untapped by the existing strategy literature. —Dan DiMicco, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nucor Steel « Always a Winner is an important and timely guide to thriving in challenging economic times. Prof. Navarro deftly bridges the academic and business communities, showing corporate leaders how to read economic tea-leaves to anticipate business cycles. His „Master Cyclist“ credo offers many practical tips and real-world case studies for steering companies through turbulent economic seas.» —Mark Greene, Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer, FICO (Fair Isaac Corp.) «Navarro’s Always a Winner shows why forecasting the economy with a ruler can be lethal for corporate executives and money managers. He demonstrates how to skillfully anticipate the ups and downs of the economy and successfully navigate through them. The current economic crisis clearly demonstrates why this book is so important to have on your bookshelf.» —Mark Zandi, Chief Economist and Cofounder of Moody’s Economy.com «Always a Winner is required reading for every entrepreneur, money manager, and independent investor hoping to outperform the market and retire one day.» —Mark T. Brookshire, Founder of StockTrak.com and WallStreetSurvivor.com « Navarro’s wealth of real world examples will show you how to make both economic recessions and recoveries invaluable allies in executing competitive corporate strategies. A must read!» —Lakshman Achuthan, Managing Director, Economic Cycle Research Institute Why recessions are far more dangerous than any 10 competitors Most companies make a lot of money during economic expansions-and lose a lot of money during recessions. That is the way it has always been. That is the way it need not always be. This book will show you how to «always be a winner» over the course of the entire business cycle-not just when economic times are good. To do this job, this book will arm you with all the strategies and tactics and forecasting tools you will need to profitably manage your organization through the business cycle seasons-from the best of boom times to the worst of recessionary times. In this book, you will learn to Forecast movements and key recessionary turning points in the business cycle Implement a set of powerful «battle-tested» strategies over the course of the business cycle Rebuild your organization with a strategic business cycle orientation and thereby make it much more recession-resistant and resilient over the longer term The forecasting tools and management strategies revealed in this book have been developed over the last five years by the author-the world's leading expert on managing the business cycle for competitive advantage. By learning to strategically manage the business cycle, your organization will be able to create a powerful competitive and sustainable advantage over its rivals and thereby find the grail sought by every executive team in the world-superior financial performance. In this way, Always a Winner provides you with the in-depth insight and practical advice you need to help your company survive and thrive in the increasingly risky conditions of the 21st century.

Studies consistently show that quality leadership development programs pay off for companies – in the form of shareholder returns, market share growth, and sales. However, many companies have inadequate leadership development programs. This book challenges traditional views of leadership development with a perspective that focuses on recognizing leadership as a source of competitive advantage. If you're a manager or an HR leader, The Leadership Gap offers the practical, effective strategies you need to close the leadership gap in your organizations, unleashing leadership potential for better business results and a sustainable competitive advantage.

Hedge funds are in the news and on the minds of sophisticated investors more than ever. Investors have questions about how the funds are structured, where the assets are allocated, and whether hedge funds can truly act as a hedge against market risk. The answers are all here in Investing in Hedge Funds. Until recently, much of what makes hedge funds tick has been closely guarded–the intellectual property of Wall Street's investment elite. In this updated and revised text, Joseph G. Nicholas, founder and chairman of the leading industry information provider Hedge Fund Research, Inc., travels inside the hedge fund marketplace to explain the alternative investment strategies of top fund managers, providing clear descriptions of how to access these funds and where they're headed. It's a complete guide that everyone investing in hedge funds should study closely.

Strategies that enable organizations to succeed as businesses and as responsible corporate citizens Based on the authors' many years of research and hands-on experience, this book provides tested and proven practical strategies that make it possible for organizations to develop, maintain, or extend their competitive advantage without causing harm to the environment and society. Moreover, it explains how to set goals and objectives and then monitor, measure, and report on progress towards achieving corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Most importantly, readers will discover that this can all be accomplished while, at the same time, improving bottom-line profitability. Practical Sustainability Strategies: How to Gain a Competitive Advantage is divided into four parts: Part 1, Introduction to Sustainability, underscores the urgency for organizations to adopt and develop sustainable practices Part 2, Sustainable Strategies, details numerous strategies that have been proven to work, including environmental innovation through biomimicry, green buildings, and green chemistry Part 3, Tools and Metrics, offers practical information on implementing strategies and measuring sustainability and reporting, including global standards and guidelines for managing sustainability, life-cycle analysis, carbon and water footprints such as GRI, GHG Protocol, UN Global Compact Part 4, Conclusion, provides an expert forecast of the future of sustainability Case studies based on the authors' research and fieldwork illustrate how leading companies have implemented each of the sustainability strategies discussed in the book. There's also an appendix with additional case studies exploring various aspects of business practices and sustainability. Practical Sustainability Strategies is ideal as a graduate textbook as well as a reference for business managers. All readers will not only gain a greater appreciation for sustainable development, but also the skills needed to integrate sustainability into all aspects of their organization's business practices.

The secret of achieving and sustaining organizational excellence revealed In an ever-changing world where only a third of excellent organizations stay that way over the long term, and where even fewer are able to implement successful change programs, leaders are in need of big ideas and new tools to thrive. In Beyond Performance, McKinsey & Company's Scott Keller and Colin Price give you everything you need to build an organization that can execute in the short run and has the vitality to prosper over the long term. Drawing on the most exhaustive research effort of its kind on organizational effectiveness and change management, Keller and Price put hard science behind their big idea: that the health of an organization is equally as important as its performance. In the book's foreword, management guru Gary Hamel refers to this notion as «a new manifesto for thinking about organizations.» The authors illustrate why copying management best practices from other companies is more dangerous than helpful Clearly explains how to determine the mutually reinforcing combination of management practices that best fits your organization's context Provides practical tools to achieve superior levels of performance and health through a staged change process: aspire, assess, architect, act, and advance. Among these are new techniques for dealing with those aspects of human behavior that are seemingly irrational (and therefore confound even the smartest leaders), yet entirely predictable Ultimately, building a healthy organization is an intangible asset that competitors copy at their peril and that enables you to skillfully adapt to and shape your environment faster than others—giving you the ultimate competitive advantage.

Secure a Prosperous Future by Applying the Tried-and-True Techniques of Value Investing to Income Properties Value Investing in Real Estate outlines a safe and rewarding way to plan for your retirement and increase your income without the risks so common to the stock market. You'll learn how to buy real estate properties using Ben Graham's time-tested methods for evaluating investments. It's a proven way to build assets and income-a big payoff for relatively little time and effort. This book proves the advantages of value investing in real estate as compared to stocks in terms of stability, yield, growth, and equity appreciation. Value Investing in Real Estate also guides readers through important topics such as identifying geographical areas of growth, population patterns, land use, market indicators, condos, townhouses, fixer-uppers, and conversions. It covers what you need to know about both value investing and the real estate market-and how to combine the two for high returns-all backed with examples that illustrate each concept and technique. For the great majority of enterprising investors, value investing in real estate will prove superior to the stock market. Most importantly, you will gain far more income than the paltry dividends accruing from most stock portfolios. With this intelligent, highly readable book, you will see how the techniques of value investing in real estate can help you build the wealth and income you will need in the future.

An accessible introduction to the proven method of value investing An ardent follower of Warren Buffett-the most high-profile value investor today-author Charles Mizrahi has long believed in the power of this proven approach. Now, with Getting Started in Value Investing, Mizrahi breaks down this successful strategy so that anyone can learn how to use it in his or her own investment endeavors. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this book helps readers gain an overall understanding of the value approach to investing and presents statistics that reveal the overwhelming success of this approach through a variety of markets. Engaging and informative, Getting Started in Value Investing skillfully shows readers how to look for undervalued companies and provides them with the tools they need to succeed in today's markets. Charles S. Mizrahi (Brooklyn, NY) is Managing Partner of CGM Partners Fund LP. He is also editor of Hidden Values Alert, a monthly newsletter focused on value investing. Mizrahi has more than 25 years of investment experience and is frequently quoted in the press. Many of his articles appear online at gurufocus.com as well as on other financial sites.

Competing in a Service Economy is a hands-on guide to creating services, with illustrative examples from service-oriented companies including Disney, Ericsson, IKEA, National Association of Convenience Stores, Ritz Carlton, Scandinavian Airline Systems, Sterling Pulp Chemicals, and Telia Mobile. This practical resource for executives, general managers, and managers in marketing, operations, and human resources reveals how to gain a competitive advantage by creating and implementing a strategic plan that will ultimately improve their organization's services. Written by the authors of the best-selling book Improving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Profit, this important new book will help business professionals to think and plan strategically to dramatically improve services, service development, and service innovation within their organizations.