Overload! How Too Much Information is Hazardous to your Organization

Information doesn't just provide a window on the business, increasingly it is the business. The global economy is moving from products to services which are described almost entirely electronically. Even those businesses that are traditionally associated with making things are less concerned with managing the manufacturing process (which is largely outsourced) than they are with maintaining their intellectual property. Information-Driven Business helps you to understand this change and find the value in your data. Hillard explains techniques that organizations can use and how businesses can apply them immediately. For example, simple changes to the way data is described will let staff support their customers much more quickly; and two simple measures let executives know whether they will be able to use the content of a database before it is even built. This book provides the foundation on which analytical and data rich organizations can be created. Innovative and revealing, this book provides a robust description of Information Management theory and how you can pragmatically apply it to real business problems, with almost instant benefits. Information-Driven Business comprehensively tackles the challenge of managing information, starting with why information has become important and how it is encoded, through to how to measure its use.

The business side of running a medical practice may be unappealing but it's crucial How to Manage Your GP Practice is written for GPs and other health professionals running their own practices. It tells you in simple, engaging style what the pitfalls are and how to avoid them. It illustrates the good and bad ways of negotiating through management issues, using case examples and lightening the messages with witty cartoons. Written by a GP with over 10 years' experience editing a leading GP magazine, and an accountant whose firm advises over 2500 GPs, the information here is sound, relevant and up to date. It provides reliable and reassuring information for doctors starting out in their careers as well as those looking to refresh their management skills.

Praise for Leading Organization Design «Designing organizations for performance can be a daunting task. Kesler and Kates have done an admirable job distilling the inherent complexity of the design process into manageable parts that can yield tangible results. Leading Organization Design provides an essential hands-on roadmap for any business leader who wants to master this topic.» —Robert Simons, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School «Kesler and Kates have encapsulated their wealth of knowledge and practical experience into an updated model on organizational design that will become a new primer on the subject.» —Neville Isdell, retired chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company «In today's world of global business, organizational design is a critical piece of long-term success. Kesler and Kates have captured multiple approaches to optimize global opportunities, while highlighting some of the keys to managing through organizational transition. A great read for today's global business leaders.» —Charles Denson, president, Nike Brand «Leading Organization Design has some unique features that make it valuable. It is one of the few and certainly only recent books to take us through an explicit process to design modern organizations. This is accomplished with the five-milestone process. The process is not a simple cookbook. Indeed, the authors have achieved a balance between process and content. In so doing, Kesler and Kates show us what to do as well as how to do it.»—Jay Galbraith, from the Foreword «Sheds light on the challenges of organization design in a complex enterprise and more importantly provides aninsightful and practical roadmap for business decisions.»—Randy MacDonald, SVP, human resources, IBM

Comprehensive coverage of what it takes to be a responsible member of an investment committee In a clear, organized, and easy-to-understand manner, this handbook explains the responsibilities and expectations of investment committee fiduciaries for pension funds, endowment funds, and foundations. Emphasizing all the do's and don'ts to follow for prudent investment management, this invaluable resource covers topics ranging from investment policy, asset allocation, and risk assessment to understanding information presented at committee meetings, asking meaningful and productive questions, and voting on recommendations knowledgeably. This book will empower readers with all the knowledge they need to feel confident in the investment decisions they make for their organizations

Getting involved in medical and biomedical research through necessity or personal choice can be a testing experience. Each step of the process brings its own challenges, from liaising with supervisors, to the lack of opportunities to promote completed research. This brand new How to provides a complete guide to the process: from the planning stages, to execution, write-up, preparation for the viva examination, and how to maximise the impact of your research. It ensures you get the most out of the experience, both in terms of personal development and academic achievement, and even provides guidance on what to do when things don’t quite go to plan. An ideal companion, written by an experienced postgraduate tutor, this concise and user-friendly manual is full of practical exercises, key points, and hints and tips, which will give you the edge when dealing with the more elusive realities of medical and healthcare research.

The number-one issue for every entrepreneur is Money—getting money, raising money, convincing investors to give you money. Whether you are a start up, a small to mid-sized enterprise, or a $100-million company, your biggest problem is always money. There is currently a mad rush towards private equity—the new, hot way to get financing—but it remains a mystery to most entrepreneurs and owners/managers of SMEs. Money Magnet unlocks the puzzle of private equity financing and shows how understanding private equity is the first step to growing wealth in your business. Historically, the most common ways to raise financing for SMEs was through bank loans or through the stock markets. But banks are notoriously risk-averse and conservative in lending to small businesses, and the great bull market is over. For most small and medium sized companies, the small cap public issue market is no longer a viable source of financing. Enter private equity. There are billions of dollars of private equity funds available in Canada and millions of SMEs looking for money, but the two don’t always know how to find one another and, when they do, usually don’t speak the same language. This is the book that explains to business people what private equity financing is, how it works, how and where to find it, how to be successful in attracting it, and all the advantages and disadvantages of raising financing in this way. Money Magnet is for entrepreneurs in emerging growth companies who are seeking financing and want to explore the benefits of the private equity option. In language that entrepreneurs understand, Jacoline Loewen demystifies the world of private equity in this simple yet comprehensive guide. Money Magnet explains what private equity is and how it works; compares it with traditional sources of financing, such as banks and stock markets; explains the different types of private equity investors (e.g., angels, venture capitalists, fund managers and institutional investors); outlines the benefits and pitfalls; describes how to meet venture capitalists and fund managers; shows how to make a convincing pitch to an investor; reveals what makes investors cringe and what makes them open up their cheque book; provides strategies to deal with the four brutal questions all investors ask; explains in detail the deal process and the deal sheet; gives advice on common conflicts between investors and entrepreneurs and how to manage them; includes a detailed checklist of what an investor wants to know about you and your business; and much more.

Start is a one-stop guide to getting your business of the ground. Written by someone who has actually been there and done it, it gets straight to the heart of launching your business, with no-nonsense ideas to help you start out with confidence and a clear direction. Pick up some essential tips like: * Start with the idea. What is it and how will it realise your ambitions?What is the long-term plan? If you don't know where you are going then you won't get there. * Simplicity is the key. Don't overcomplicate things so that the idea is pecked to death by ducks. If you can write it on a postcard and explain it to your mum, then you can get started. * Make clear plans. Draw up One-page business and personal plans to work out what you want in the simplest and clearest possible way. * Decide what you want. Flush out whether you are building to sell, or just want the business to fund your lifestyle, then take the leap of faith and get it underway. Work hard, but don't confuse being busy with being effective. * Learn from experience. Realise when you are gaining speed but losing altitude, and have the courage to change things when they aren't working well. All vital stuff, packaged and presented in a way that will help you put it into practice right away. So what are you waiting for? It's time to Start.

Questions concerning retirement savings abound, but the one question on everyone’s mind is, «How much is enough to provide for the type of retirement I want?» How Much Is Enough? provides the answer by helping readers build a customized plan. Author and financial planning expert Diane McCurdy clearly explains how to save on taxes and invest wisely, so that readers can find the money they need to reach their retirement goals. Readers will also learn how to comfortably work with financial advisors and manage the investments needed for retirement. Filled with in-depth insight and practical advice, How Much Is Enough? is a refreshing approach to defining retirement goals and building a personalized plan to reach them.

Praise for the first edition of Up Your Business! «Dave Anderson has hit another home run! Up Your Business! is an invaluable, highly readable guide that should be on the desk–and in the mind–of anyone demanding top-level performance from themselves and others.» –James Strock, author, Reagan on Leadership and Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership «Up Your Business! is a powerful blueprint for companies looking to take their business to the next level. It is one of the most powerful books on business and leadership I have ever read and will be a major component of Saga Communications' leadership training.» –Warren Lada, Senior Vice President, Saga Communications, Inc. «Once again, Dave Anderson puts it all together in a way that almost makes you think he's been looking over your shoulder all these years. Chapter two alone, 'Abolish Corporate Welfare: Create a Culture of Merit,' is worth the time it takes to read the entire book.» –Mike Roscoe, founder and President, Horizon Communications «Finally . . . a business book that gets to the heart of what matters and creates usable templates that could help any business thrive.» –Roxanne Emmerich, author, Thank God It's Monday!

Ben Horowitz, a leading venture capitalist, modern management expert, and New York Times bestselling author combines lessons both from history and modern organisational practice with practical and often surprising advice to help us build cultures that can weather both good and bad times. The times and circumstances in which people were raised often shape them – yet a few leaders have managed to shape their times. In this follow-up to the bestselling business classic The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz turns his attention to a question crucial to every organisation: How do you create and sustain the culture you want? This book is a journey through cultures ancient to modern, spotlighting models of leadership and culture-building from the samurai to prison gangs. Along the way, it answers fundamental questions: Who are we? How do people talk about us when we’re not around? How do we treat our customers? Can we be trusted? Because who you are is not the values you list on the wall. It’s not what you say in a company-wide meeting. It’s not your marketing campaign. It’s not even what you believe. Who you are is what you do. This book will help you do the things needed to become the kind of leader you want to be – and others want to follow.