Strategy in Practice. A Practitioner's Guide to Strategic Thinking

A practitioner-focused approach to strategy and real-world strategic thinking This 3rd edition has been revised and updated throughout to reflect the current thinking in strategy in view of the current economic and business climate. It questions how we are thinking differently about strategy now, in light of emerging from the global economic crisis. It includes new and updated case illustrations throughout, plus a new chapter on Strategy Execution and Performance Appraisal. Rigorously founded on current thinking and theoretical concepts in the field of strategic management, Strategy in Practice: Provides the strategy practitioner with a systematic and insight-driven approach to strategic thinking Establishes and translates the relevance of strategy theory to its application in the practice field Leads you through the strategic thinking process, beginning with the formulation of compelling and clearly articulated strategic questions that set the scene for practical issues Provides tools of strategic analysis in combination with informed intuition to understand the strategic landscape Has additional online resources available for instructors

Written by a top scholar in the field, Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for Evidence-Based Practice gives essential and practical guidance on how to integrate research appraisal into evidence-based practice endeavors to ensure the best client care. This reader-friendly book presents you with the knowledge you need about various research designs and methods so that when engaging in the evidence-based practice (EBP) process, you can determine which interventions, programs, policies, and assessment tools are supported by the best evidence.

Since the formalization of asset allocation in 1952 with the publication of Portfolio Selection by Harry Markowitz, there have been great strides made to enhance the application of this groundbreaking theory. However, progress has been uneven. It has been punctuated with instances of misleading research, which has contributed to the stubborn persistence of certain fallacies about asset allocation. A Practitioner's Guide to Asset Allocation fills a void in the literature by offering a hands-on resource that describes the many important innovations that address key challenges to asset allocation and dispels common fallacies about asset allocation. The authors cover the fundamentals of asset allocation, including a discussion of the attributes that qualify a group of securities as an asset class and a detailed description of the conventional application of mean-variance analysis to asset allocation.. The authors review a number of common fallacies about asset allocation and dispel these misconceptions with logic or hard evidence. The fallacies debunked include such notions as: asset allocation determines more than 90% of investment performance; time diversifies risk; optimization is hypersensitive to estimation error; factors provide greater diversification than assets and are more effective at reducing noise; and that equally weighted portfolios perform more reliably out of sample than optimized portfolios. A Practitioner's Guide to Asset Allocation also explores the innovations that address key challenges to asset allocation and presents an alternative optimization procedure to address the idea that some investors have complex preferences and returns may not be elliptically distributed. Among the challenges highlighted, the authors explain how to overcome inefficiencies that result from constraints by expanding the optimization objective function to incorporate absolute and relative goals simultaneously. The text also explores the challenge of currency risk, describes how to use shadow assets and liabilities to unify liquidity with expected return and risk, and shows how to evaluate alternative asset mixes by assessing exposure to loss throughout the investment horizon based on regime-dependent risk. This practical text contains an illustrative example of asset allocation which is used to demonstrate the impact of the innovations described throughout the book. In addition, the book includes supplemental material that summarizes the key takeaways and includes information on relevant statistical and theoretical concepts, as well as a comprehensive glossary of terms.

"Daniel Cassidy has written a detailed, comprehensive guide for managers to understand and succeed at the ongoing process of managing a company retirement plan. If motivating your employees is important to you as a manager, this book is an essential key to your success." –Josh Gordon, author of Presentations That Change Minds and Selling 2.0 Written by renowned retirement benefits planning specialist Daniel Cassidy, A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management focuses on current best practices regarding company-sponsored retirement plans within the United States. Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, this valuable guide will aid managers in applying strategic thinking to their retirement plan management activities–whether it be a 401(k) plan, investing in company stock, or a traditional defined benefit plan. It will also help you to view retirement plans in a holistic manner–ever more necessary given the unpredictable economy and recent troubles with companies such as Enron and WorldCom. Covering everything from administrative issues to financial and legal responsibilities, A Manager's Guide to Strategic Retirement Plan Management will allow you to make the best decisions possible while managing this ongoing process and help you find solutions that best fit your organization's specific needs.

This much-enhanced new edition of the highly accessible guide to practical archaeology is a vital resource for students. It features the latest methodologies, a wealth of case studies from around the world, and contributions from leading specialists in archaeological materials analysis. New edition updated to include the latest archaeological methods, an enhanced focus on post-excavation analysis and new material including a dedicated chapter on analyzing human remains Covers the full range of current analytic methods, such as analysis of stone tools, human remains and absolute dating Features a user-friendly structure organized according to material types such as animal bones, ceramics and stone artifacts, as well as by thematic topics ranging from dating techniques to report writing, and ethical concerns. Accessible to archaeology students at all levels, with detailed references and extensive case studies featured throughout

Turn insight into profit with guru guidance toward successful algorithmic trading A Guide to Creating a Successful Algorithmic Trading Strategy provides the latest strategies from an industry guru to show you how to build your own system from the ground up. If you're looking to develop a successful career in algorithmic trading, this book has you covered from idea to execution as you learn to develop a trader's insight and turn it into profitable strategy. You'll discover your trading personality and use it as a jumping-off point to create the ideal algo system that works the way you work, so you can achieve your goals faster. Coverage includes learning to recognize opportunities and identify a sound premise, and detailed discussion on seasonal patterns, interest rate-based trends, volatility, weekly and monthly patterns, the 3-day cycle, and much more—with an emphasis on trading as the best teacher. By actually making trades, you concentrate your attention on the market, absorb the effects on your money, and quickly resolve problems that impact profits. Algorithmic trading began as a «ridiculous» concept in the 1970s, then became an «unfair advantage» as it evolved into the lynchpin of a successful trading strategy. This book gives you the background you need to effectively reap the benefits of this important trading method. Navigate confusing markets Find the right trades and make them Build a successful algo trading system Turn insights into profitable strategies Algorithmic trading strategies are everywhere, but they're not all equally valuable. It's far too easy to fall for something that worked brilliantly in the past, but with little hope of working in the future. A Guide to Creating a Successful Algorithmic Trading Strategy shows you how to choose the best, leave the rest, and make more money from your trades.

The Nurse Practitioner’s Guide to Nutrition is a comprehensive clinical resource for nurse practitioners working in a variety of clinical care settings. Emphasizing practical nutrition information, this accessible guide provides guidance on incorporating nutrition history questions and counselling techniques into routine care across all clinical settings. The book begins by discussing fundamental concepts in nutrition assessment, giving readers a solid framework from which to approach subsequent chapters. Section Two focuses on nutrition from a lifespan perspective, organizing information by the issues most pertinent to patients at different stages of life. Section Three presents nutrition counselling across clinical care settings ranging from cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, and gastroenterology to caring for the obese patient. Each chapter includes essential information distilled in quick-access tabular format and clinical scenarios that apply key concepts discussed to real-world examples. Ideal for both in-training and qualified advanced practice nurses, The Nurse Practitioner’s Guide to Nutrition is an essential tool for assessing, managing, and treating nutrition-related conditions, as well as promoting nutritional health for all patients. This activity has been approved for 35 nursing continuing education contact hours through the Temple University College of Health Professions and Social Work Department of Nursing Provider Unit, an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, itself an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. For e-book users: CNE materials are available for download after purchase. This title is also available as a mobile App from MedHand Mobile Libraries. Buy it now from Google Play or the MedHand Store.

A thoroughly updated introduction to the concepts, methods, and standards of critical thinking, A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking: Deciding What to Do and Believe, Second Edition is a unique presentation of the formal strategies used when thinking through reasons and arguments in many areas of expertise. Pursuing an interdisciplinary approach to critical thinking, the book offers a broad conception of critical thinking and explores the practical relevance to conducting research across fields such as, business, education, and the biological sciences. Applying rigor when necessary, the Second Edition maintains an informal approach to the fundamental core concepts of critical thinking. With practical strategies for defining, analyzing, and evaluating reasons and arguments, the book illustrates how the concept of an argument extends beyond philosophical roots into experimentation, testing, measurement, and policy development and assessment. Featuring plenty of updated exercises for a wide range of subject areas, A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking Deciding What to Do and Believe, Second Edition also includes: Numerous real-world examples from many fields of research, which reflect the applicability of critical thinking in everyday life New topical coverage, including the nature of reasons, assertion and supposing, narrow and broad definitions, circumstantial reasons, and reasoning about causal claims Selected answers to various exercises to provide readers with instantaneous feedback to support and extend the lessons A Practical Guide to Critical Thinking Deciding What to Do and Believe, Second Edition is an excellent textbook for courses on critical thinking and logic at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as an appropriate reference for anyone with a general interest in critical thinking skills.

Accounting expert Steven Bragg equips you with a working knowledge of the complete M&A process throughout Mergers and Acquisitions: A Condensed Practitioner's Guide, with comprehensive, reader-friendly, and straightforward advice on principal business terms, as well as the due diligence process, the customary contractual provisions, legal background, and how-to's applicable to business acquisitions. Destined to become a well-thumbed addition to every manager's library, this essential guide addresses the entire acquisition process with pragmatic information that will serve you as an excellent reference whether you are a novice or expert acquirer.