Lessons

As the demand for comparative studies of leadership rises, managers and trainers are looking harder than ever for new studies to which trainees will not bring preconceived idea. This unique book delivers just that. Though the contexts have changed, the examination of ancient events from a business perspective provides a wealth of useful insights on how the process of leadership works. From China’s first emperor Liu Bang on vision and Pericles on integrity to Alexander the Great on communication and Ramesses II on courage, Leadership Lessons from the Ancient World combines history with business to show that the universal strategies used by great leaders of the past are still relevant today.

In order to bring a character to life, it is beneficial for animators to have a solid understanding of acting principles, and this book examines the important skills behind the artistry of creating animated characters. With a particular emphasis on a character’s motions and movement, this unique resource covers the basic elements of acting for CG animation and then progresses to more advanced topics such as internal intent and motivation. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

The communication aspect of leadership – to actively engage your followers and achieve understanding and motivation whilst making the message memorable – has never been more important. Using vivid lessons and examples from spheres outside business organization, The Persuasive Leader explores the leader's role as a communicator and teaches the fundamental principles of successful leadership. This book provides insights and principles about persuasive leadership from a broad range of human experiences. It draws on examples of persuasive leaders and persuasive leadership principles from the performing arts, the fine arts, literature, philosophical writings, and biography. The authors use their unconventional material to explore themes such as moral leadership, toxic leadership, learning from failures, 'distributed' leadership, leading for results and the leader as a mentor and counsellor. Leaders described in The Persuasive Leader: Abraham Lincoln, Jack Welch, Cleopatra, Teddy Roosevelt, Alexander the Great, Rachel Carson, Joshua Chamberlain, Governor John Winthrop, Barack Obamma, Steve Jobs, Henry V, Julius Caesar, John Quincy Adams, Dwight Eisenhower, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Huey Long, Napoleon, Ghandi, Sam Walton, Archbishop Sean O'Malley, Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Roosevelt, Jim Sinegal, Dolly Madison, James Jones, Clarence Darrow, William Harvey, Ronald Reagan, Fletcher Christian, Thomas Jefferson, Nelson Mandela, Charles McCormick, George Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Joan of Arc, John Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, Christopher Columbus, Anita Roddick, John DeLorean, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and others less well known persuasive leaders such as Anne Sullivan, TS Lin, Maria Galantry, Dorothy Collins, Scott Nash, Jane Hughes, William Barnes.

BRICs and Beyond is an international business executive text written especially for executive and MBA students. It is based on extensive consulting in emerging economies and several years of experience teaching executive MBA courses around the globe. The author has continually faced the problem that the available textbooks for teaching international business focused almost exclusively on examples of Western multinationals for case illustrations. In the process of preparing cases nearer to the emerging market she worked in, the author realized that the often fascinating, frequently insightful and always different approach to business illustrated by these cases should be required reading for MBA students in typical Western environments too. With its wide range of current case illustrations and concise summaries this is a new-generation text that will welcome today's MBA student to the wider world of 21st century international business. «. . . this book is needed not only because it looks at business from the BRICs points of view; it also looks at business from the point of view of tomorrow's business leaders and the challenges that they will have to cope with.» –Professor Jonathan Gosling, Centre for Leadership Studies, and co-founder, The One-Planet MBA, the University of Exeter, UK «. . . Stephanie Jones advises Western businesses on doing business in emerging economies in a refreshingly straightforward manner, integrating in a novel way her three decades of global, practical experience with the daily barrage of reporting on the BRICs–distilling from these many lessons and principles. . .» –Extracted from the Foreword, by Professor Wim Naud?, Director of Research, Maastricht School of Management

The world has been brought to its knees in recent years due to an increased amount of hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes which collectively have left tens of millions without power and derailed economic growth in the process. However, today weather is not the only threat to massive power loss. It’s time to fight back before energy weaknesses and instabilities from disruptive weather patterns cause financial chaos around the world through cyberwarfare. In Lessons from Frankenstorm, you'll learn how to fight back. Overview: A look back at recent events (Fukushima, India blackout, Sandy here in the U.S., August 2003 blackout in Northeast U.S., etc.). Set up the case that something needs to be done, especially with warming temperatures (2012 was the hottest year on record). What are threats? Focus here is on weather (temperatures, rising tides, global warming, dwindling water supplies which impact certain energy sources (i.e. fracking, biofuels), terrorism (cyberterror which may create a whole new investing sector in the very near future). What can governments and utilities do? It could be good to focus on disaster recovery efforts, crisis management, legislation, planning and strategy AHEAD of next major storm or terrorist threats that could rattle global financial marketplaces. New legislation could lead to new asset allocation by investors, technology companies, utilities and private equity. Legislation (i.e. endorsing modern nuclear power, offshore wind, etc.) may also cause new alliances, joint ventures as a result. Could Frankenstorm be used a global blueprint for energy innovation? Here focus on efforts seen in New York and New Jersey emerging from the darkness and ruin left by Superstorm Sandy through the real next generation energy technologies and themes that investors may want to focus on for the next decade (i.e. thorium nuclear reactors which China just announced they are moving toward—should the U.S. follow?). Complacency is not the answer. Doing nothing and simply waiting for another major power outage that not only challenges our credibility as a superpower in a new world economy but could also cripple global market centers (maybe look at how slow Japan has reacted to Fukushima while Germany moved way too fast in my view to move away from nuclear power—something that has caused surging electricity prices).

"You should not overlook the potential genius in this concept." –Geoffrey Moore, consultant and author, Dealing with Darwin «Since he first identified 'information systems as mirrors of the people who build them' for me, I have seen it operate in many ways. It is a fascinating idea, and a completely new way of thinking about technology.» –Sean Moriarty, Chief Operating Officer, Ticketmaster «This book makes for compelling reading–it's easy to become immersed in the stories, and the insights gradually grow in the reader's mind as they take root in the character's minds. This is quite a useful work. The ideas presented here could be quickly put to practical use in any organization.» –Mohamed Muhsin, VP and CIO, The World Bank A breakthrough exploration of information systems as mirrors of the people who build them. Packed with truer-than-life stories, stimulating characters, and unique IT analysis, Lessons in Grid Computing finally declares: * Our systems will not «talk to each other» if our people are not talking to each other * We must transform ourselves to the same degree that we want to transform our systems * To correct problems in our information systems, we must first address the problems between the people that build and support them Discover how to adjust your management style to enable the next generation of technologies with the help of Lessons in Grid Computing.

A project manager must not only master methods and processes, but also have the ability to deal with new, unexpected and critical situations. The book deals with these challenges, the passion for projects and the creativity which is required in order to lead projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. Experienced project managers report on exciting tasks in various countries, daily life as project managers and about their personal experiences and learning effects. Readers will experience the fascinating appeal of the job of a «project manager», which also means constantly being prepared to get into a new task. Furthermore, the book provides ideas about how to overcome social, cultural, organisational, financial, bureaucratic or other hurdles. Not only classic project managers – engineers and economists -, but also lawyers or industrial engineers, who work in projects or are interested in project work, will be inspired by this book, how personal commitment and professional, organisational and social capabilities combine to form this unique profession.

5 stars: Exceptional, a must read for any manager or leader —Sarah Stocks, Chartered Management Institute (CMI) «This book is a highly effective, meaningful and user-friendly guide for anyone trying to manage change in a modern organisation today» —inManagement magazine «If you are looking for a book to give you some hints and tips as to how to manage change better, this will be able to do this. […] There are some great insights for anyone who is responsible for leading change» —Kyomi Wade, Dialogue Review Real stories from real CEOs on implementing successful change initiatives in any organization Change is difficult. In large organizations with established cultures, managing change can be one of the biggest challenges for business leaders and managers. Using a wealth of real stories from real CEOs on how they managed major change initiatives—and the lessons they learned along the way—Change Lessons from a CEO gives professionals and business students powerful and effective guidance on successfully managing change initiatives in any organization. The book's uniquely flexible approach lets readers build their own models for change based on their unique organizational structure, culture, and situation. Throughout, the book emphasizes the importance of authenticity in the change leader's role and how to manifest that authenticity throughout a change initiative. With examples and case studies from multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations, and small and medium-size businesses, this book is a valuable tool for leaders of any organization of any size. Offers real-world insight from CEOs and leaders Ideal for CEOs, managers, leaders of non-profit organizations, consultants, and students in business programs Includes case studies and first-hand accounts of successful change initiatives in a wide range of businesses and organizations of all sizes Change is inevitable. Managing change initiatives successfully can be the difference between organizations and teams that thrive and those that come apart at the seams. For business leaders and students, this book offers practical and proven guidance for doing change right.

Important insights into the true purpose of IT?from a CIO's perspective Focusing on the qualities required to transform an organization through the lens of the CIO, this book provides practical advice on how to address key issues, as well as create a context for the type of leadership qualities required to broaden the CIO's impact in every aspect of the corporation. Provides practical advice on key issues for leadership qualities Looks at the differences between leadership and management and the need for effectiveness in both disciplines Explores relationship management, communication skills, change management, developing human capital, sustainability, alignment, and qualities of great leaders A timely look at how the IT function can become totally aligned with the strategies and operational direction of the business enterprise, Lessons in IT Transformation reveals how CIOs can?and should?evolve from managers of utility services to business leaders who can drive revenue, value, and process redesign.

The revised edition of this highly acclaimed work presents crucial lessons from Japan's recession that could aid the US and other economies as they struggle to recover from the current financial crisis. This book is about Japan's 15-year long recession and how it affected current theoretical thinking about its causes and cures. It has a detailed explanation on what happened to Japan, but the discoveries made are so far-reaching that a large portion of economics literature will have to be modified to accommodate another half to the macroeconomic spectrum of possibilities that conventional theorists have overlooked. The author developed the idea of yin and yang business cycles where the conventional world of profit maximization is the yang and the world of balance sheet recession, where companies are minimizing debt, is the yin. Once so divided, many varied theories developed in macro economics since the 1930s can be nicely categorized into a single comprehensive theory- The Holy Grail of Macro Economics