The purpose of this book is to put in writing the things I heard from the employees at the lower levels of different organizations; their ideas, suggestions, concerns, feelings, and-why not?-their genuine complains and frustrations. I hope this book helps to open the minds, hearts and souls of those who supervise people at any level of the organization, and not only the doors of theirs offices, to listen to what the employees want or need to say. They may be right or wrong as anybody else. If they are right, tell them what you plan to do, act accordingly and provide them with frequent feedback; if they are wrong, explain to them why they are wrong in a clear and specific manner. Organizations must make sure that supervisors are instructed to be available to their direct reports and listen to them. Fear, the main reason for employees not to speak to their supervisors, must be removed from the work environment because it closes the doors to many good ideas including significant cost saving suggestions, erodes people's commitment, causes decrease in productivity and increase in employee turnover among other diseases. Sometimes the lack of communication is not necessary caused by fear but by supervisors who apparently are listening to employees without taking any action or providing adequate feedback. People understand yes followed by action and feedback, and they understand no when the reasons are clearly explained to them; but there is something that people can't understand and usually creates anger, resentment and frustration: to be ignored.

This book is the businessperson's guide to influencing government decisions without incurring the cost of a professional lobbyist, at a time when those decisions are, increasingly, a key to survival. When big corporations want to influence the government, they hire pricey lobbyists. But little guys have been on their own—until now. Equally useful to entrepreneurs and established owner/managers, Be Your Own Lobbyist: How to Give Your Small Business Big Clout with State and Local Government is a businessperson's guide to getting heard by government decision-makers by using the same tactics professionals employ. Readers will learn how to lobby in a compelling, sophisticated way through a comprehensive approach that will work at any level, but the book is especially suited to state and local government where routine decisions can mean life or death for small- and medium-sized businesses. The book not only explains the building blocks of advocacy—targeting, tools, and tactics—but also applies them to specific, common challenges like seeking a variance or fighting an ordinance. Packed with examples and easily adaptable models, Be Your Own Lobbyist shows how even a small business can get a fair shake in the halls of government.

Expanding upon one of his high-level foundational teachings: Strategic Coach co-founder Dan Sullivan explains why achieving 10X growth is easier than going for 2X growth. Dan Sullivan, the world's leading coach for highly successful entrepreneurs, wants you to know that achieving 10X growth is exponentially easier than striving for 2X growth. Most find this idea confusing at first because simply imagining 10X growth causes them to think they need to do 10X more work to achieve it. However, being a 10X entrepreneur is nothing like what most people think. 10X is not the outcome; it's a counterintuitive process you can apply every time you want exponential growth in your life and business. To make 10X possible, you must focus on expanding what Dan defines as your four most important freedoms—time, money, relationship, and purpose. As your time becomes 10X more valuable, you increasingly multiply the money you earn both in terms of amount and profitable satisfaction. As money becomes a tool you can increasingly access with greater ease, you will engage with a growing number of other freedom-motivated individuals. As both your professional and personal life fills up with 10X more unique and collaborative relationships, you will realize that your most powerful purposes in all areas become 10X more lasting and positive for everyone involved. You will be impressed by what your life has become, and the meaning and impact you're having. 10X is fundamentally about quality vs quantity, and the quality of your freedoms determines the results you achieve.

The vast majority of American companies have little awareness or knowledge of how their organizations must change strategically to improve their customers' loyalty and assessment of value. As customers increasingly perceive a sameness of products and services among companies, an intense focus on customer retention and lifetime value will differentiate successful organizations from others. Lowenstein develops concepts and approaches that enable company executives, managers, and staff to create a dynamic, proactive corporate commitment to customer advocacy and loyalty.

Moving past previous how-to-do-it books on customers, Lowenstein identifies the abilities and processes by which companies can achieve the new paradigms related to customer loyalty.The Seven S Framework, a management concept developed by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman while at McKinsey and Company, is combined with the author's own Customer Loyalty Pyramid DEGREESDSM to form the basis of this new, invaluable work. The concepts are innovative, and the applications are real-world.

Anyone who has ever played an organized sport knows that in order to beat your opponent, you not only need to have a good team and proven skills but you also need to have a game plan or strategy BEFORE you enter the game. The same is true in the game of life and this is especially true with regards to those situations that look like they could ruin you financially, emotionally, physically, or spiritually. A lot of self-help books offer you prosperity training or financial planning training, but very few, if any, offer you training on how to prepare-for-the-worst that could come your way. This book, I believe, will offer you a game plan in this area of preparing yourself for life-threatening and life-changing situations. A specific game plan that I use that has worked to prepare me to get through those worst-days-of-your life is simple and has only four parts to if. 1) Develop a Life Perspective as soon as you can. 2) View the situation in its proper perspective. reality of the present situation to take proactive steps to prepare yourself mentally and spiritually to carry you through the valley of the shadow of death. 4) Stay focused in time of trouble by learning and following the steps of how to deal with the End of Days moments.

Written for the citizen consumer, healthcare professional and employer who asks: "What is health reform going to mean for me?" If you want to know more, this is the book for you. It is written in response to politicians attempting to hijack healthcare at the expense of the American people. As both a physician and economist, Dr. Smith plainly lays out the problems and real, workable solutions. With clinical and administrative experience, Dr. Smith has worked in every area of healthcare, from hospitals to insurance companies. She has seen what's worked and what hasn't in the United States, Europe and the Third World. The answers to how healthcare is actually delivered and where the money is really going will likely surprise you. If we are going to have a serious debate about healthcare, it is time for the American people, healthcare professionals and employers to fully understand and reclaim this most important issue.

As the dominant paradigm of economic activity is shifting to a focus on creating customer value, it is becoming increasingly clear that companies must be able to formulate business strategies, product and service strategies and internal operating strategies that accelerate the creation and delivery of customer value. The ability to create value has become the primary source of sustainable competitive strength. With this book, Ulwick introduces a strategy formulation theory and process that allows firms to create strategies that consistently produce breakthrough results. The application of advanced modeling and pattern detection techniques commonly reserved for physics and the behavioral sciences is used in both the design of the theory and in the process it initiates; its application can result in strategies and solutions that delivery up to ten times more value than those created with traditional methods. It is a process that can be broadly applied across an organization and a wide range of subjects or missions.

Ulwick describes Outcome-Based Logic, which can transform organizational dynamics and the way an organization approaches the process of strategy formulation, and proposes a Universal Strategy Formulation Model which defines the four essential elements of strategy creation: desired outcomes, constraints, the desired competitive position, and solutions. Using this model, it becomes possible for an organization to first choose its desired competitive position and then work to uncover the strategy or solution that will enable it to occupy that position. The book also introduces a process called the Customer-Driven Mission Achievement Process (CD-MAP), now successfully used by many large companies to formulate and assess strategies at every organizational level of their organizations. This book, steeped in modern business theory and backed by years of practical experience, will help practitioners in any company improve their operations and their competitive position.

This work is intended to raise the awareness level of all readers to the broad scope of taxes that we pay in a variety of forms to the federal, state and local governments in the United States. Most of the tax burdens that we live with are the result of our elected officials catering to special interest groups such as lobbyists, unions, major contributors and the like. Many social programs, including our entire education system, that are funded by our taxes in one form or another are loaded with scandal, abuse and waste. Regrettably, the majority of US citizens don't take the time or make any effort to develop a better understanding of how our tax dollars are raised by the different governmental bodies nor do they know where a substantial portion of the money is spent. This book makes an attempt to provide such basic information to the average taxpaying citizen about a broad range of taxes and fees we pay that have been worked into our lives by unchallenged legislation and related regulations. The cumulative effect of the current system, that has so invisibly emptied the pockets and pocket books of many, must be stopped. My hope is that every reader of this book will want to learn more and more about these tax abuses and other forms of widespread mismanagement and corruption on the part of our legislators that will motivate us all to put an end to their practices once and for all by taking their power from them.

One step above knowledge management systems are business intelligence systems. Their purpose is to give decision makers a better understanding of their organization's operations, and thus another way to outmaneuver the competition, by helping to find and extract the meaningful relationships, trends, and correlations that underlie the organization's operations and ultimately contribute to its success. Thierauf also shows that by tying critical success factors and key performance indicators into business intelligence systems, an organization's most important financial ratios can also be improved. Comprehensive and readable, Thierauf's book will advance the knowledge and skills of all information systems providers and users. It will also be useful as a text in upper-level courses covering a wide range of topics essential to an understanding of executive business systems generally, and specifically their creation and management.

The theme underlying Thierauf's unique text is that a thorough understanding of a company's operations is crucial if the company is to be moved to a higher level of competitive advantage. Although data warehousing, data mining, the Internet, the World Wide Web, and other electronic aids have been in place for at least a decade, it is the remarkable and unique capability of business intelligence systems to utilize them that has in turn revolutionized the ability of decision makers to find, accumulate, organize, and access a wider range of information than was ever before possible. Effective business intelligence systems give decision makers a means to keep their fingers on the pulse of their businesses every step of the way. From this it follows that they are thus able to develop new, more workable means to cope with the competition successfully. Comprehensive and readable, Thierauf's book will advance the knowledge and skills of all information systems providers and users. It will also be useful as a text in upper-level courses covering a wide range of topics essential to an understanding of executive business systems generally, and specifically their creation and management.

Financials alone don't make an M&A deal work. Equally important is what's behind them--an organization's people. How to understand this reality and benefit from it is the thrust of this unusually comprehensive, practical, readable, but conceptually rigorous book. Daniel and Metcalf see HR executives as change agents during the delicate maneuverings before a deal is done, and then after, when it's time to tackle the fine-grained problems of integrating disparate corporate cultures and the people who vitalize them. They examine the recent and ongoing waves of mergers and acquisitions across industries, setting them in the broader context of organizational change. With concepts, theory, and real-life examples drawn from their long, impressive experience as consultants and corporate executives, Daniel and Metcalf provide step-by-step guidance through the stages common to all corporate combinations. They define and explain the roles to be played in the process by HR professionals and executives elsewhere in the organization, and show how, by interacting productively with each other, they will thus maximize the total contribution to the success of any corporate transaction.

In recent years, the media have been full of stories about ethical decline. Illegal dealings have been uncovered in the banking and savings and loan industries as well as the highest levels of Congress and government administration. Even television evangelism has been seriously tarnished by scandal. "Corporate Corruption" is the first wide ranging book to turn the spotlight on the unethical and illegal behavior of America's giant corporations and their executives: the prestigious Fortune 500. While avoiding the undignified zealotry of tabloid muck-raking, this well-researched volume explores corporate abuse and examines the disparity between the facts of corporate misconduct and the glowing image that advertising and other media portray of these corporations.

Marshall Clinard identifies the auto, oil, pharmaceutical, and defense industries as the major offenders. He devotes a chapter to each of these areas in addition to chapters on corporate violence, corporate bribery, and a final discussion of how to correct these widespread abuses. Although their massive productive capacities and innovative powers have contributed immeasurably to the high standard of living that many Americans enjoy, far too often corporations have abused the public trust, the people who use their products, their own employees and stockholders, the environment, and even the Third World that they profess to help. From illegally disposing of hazardous waste to defiance of health and safety standards to price-fixing, corporate violations cost hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of lives. The magnitude of their offenses becomes clear when one considers that a single corporate offense may run into millions of dollars in losses, while the average cost of a burglary is $600 and the average larceny $400. In some cases, the cost of a single case of corporate misconduct may exceed a billion dollars. Having published three earlier books on corporate misbehavior and having received two grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to make specific corporate studies, Clinard is well-qualified to bring insight, experience, and unblinking scrutiny to what he describes as a story that must be told. Corporate Corruption is a must for anyone concerned about the widespread breakdown of ethics in contemporary society and the role played by large corporations when they abuse their power. It is also of interest to persons involved in business management, complex organizations, criminology, general ethics, and, in fact, to any responsible customer.

Every organization is looking for ways to improve employee participation, loyalty and engagement; which most scholars believe could help with the organization' performance. We all know that leading with character is a good management skill for any leader that wants to be successful and effective. In this book, the following are seen as some characteristic behaviors that could distinguish a competitive and skillful leaders from others. When you are visible in the organization, know how to handle diversity, set expectations and most importantly know how to communicate and listen to your customers and employees, the result is always good for the organization. People begin to feel valued, respected and their sense of belonging begins to improve. The impact of employee feelings and perceptions will be seen on how they feel about the organization in general. The importance of good leadership on organization's performance and productivity is unquestionable and should be a driving force for leaders to demonstrate behaviors that are essential and productive.

Do you ever feel tired of everyone wanting your money? Do you ever get frustrated from sorting through the many charity letters, requesting you for more money? Do you ever wonder if your donation really helps? If you answer yes, then you know the burdens that come from giving. Whether it is a small grassroots nonprofit in your hometown or national appeals on television to dial in your donation, then you understand that it takes wisdom and discernment to give responsibly. In today's world, the centrality of philanthropy is money, and specifically, your money is wanted. But what nonprofits need is not more money, but leadership. Philanthropic leadership is the tipping point if you are going to make a difference. Rather than raising more money, nonprofits need for you to rise up and lead. A philanthropic leader understands that money cannot and has not solved the world's gravest problems within the developing world, nor does it create sustainability. Yes, money pays bills and produces salaries, but at the end of the day, nonprofits need you and your leadership more than they need your money. In Everyone Wants Your Money, Dr. Keller draws from his own experience of giving millions of dollars to charities, to working alongside other philanthropists globally. Wrestling with the burdens of giving to celebrating the joys of being a blessing, Keller explores the many facets of giving. From true stories of giving to scenarios of the conventional, counter, and creative future of philanthropy, this book outlines the heart of the philanthropic leader. Since the heart of philanthropy, the etymology of philanthropy is love of mankind, then every philanthropic leader understands that love changes lives through personal relationships. It is not money that nonprofit organizations need, but you. Will you be a blessing by becoming a philanthropic leader?

Don't Just Stand There - Sell Something is a thought-provoking and fun guide to sales and sales management. In his twenty-plus years in sales Stu Schlackman has worked with some of the best, and worst, sales managers around. In Don't Just Stand There - Sell Something, Stu draws on this experience to review the state of sales management today and applies his own critical perspective to the business of selling to businesses. Skills, Motivational Management, Attitude, Relationships and Thinking. Stu relates opinions, facts, stories and sound advice as he explains what works and what doesn't work; when to act, and when to stay out of the way; and how to build a team where everyone succeeds. exhibits the worst characteristics of the profession - the 'klink'. Klinks are sales managers who range in capability from inept to dangerous. They are useful - as a warning to others. everyone involved in business-to-business technology or solution sales at any level and in any industry.

In the typical organization, the procurement of maintenance, repair, operating and production supplies (MROP) represents only about 20% of the total spending for materials, but consumes about 80% of the time, effort and expense involved in the purchasing process. For many reasons, detailed in this book, very few organizations have properly analyzed and identified improvement potentials in MROP procurement beyond getting price quotes. The Author's experience with hundreds of entities over 50 years has demonstrated that cost savings in excess of 35% of MROP spending are obtainable without significant investment or risk. Applied to the estimated annual spend of $450 billion to $500 billion in the U.S. for MROP products, this equates to an astounding potential cost savings of $150 billion or more across the American economy. The 20% Solution shows in easy-to-absorb detail how to analyze, identify and obtain these savings within your organization. This book is written for those individuals responsible for indirect materials procurement in for-profit and non-profit entities, their suppliers, students and faculty of business and industrial technology and others seeking dramatic cost reduction opportunities in an often overlooked function.

Data have almost no value in and for themselves. What's important is how they are used to create the information one needs to make informed decisions, and this is particularly true in making marketing decisions. Thus, Samli's new book dwells on the art and science of information generation and on how to convert it to practical knowledge. Without information and knowledge, says Samli, the firm faces great risk in the marketplace and its survival probabilities in the long run are very low. Samli explains, first, the various data generating procedures, with special emphasis on data analysis, and second, the procedures for creating information out of data -- all in a clear, systematic presentation that marketing managers will understand and benefit from immediately. Their MIS colleagues, whose goal should be to make data and information decision-maker friendly, will also benefit. A unique, valuable book for both.

The problem is not information overload as some contend, says Samli, but data overload. Data have almost no value in and for themselves. What's important is how data are used to create the information marketers need in order to make knowledgeable decisions. Thus, Samli's newest book dwells on the art and science of information generation and on how to convert it to practical knowledge. Without information and knowledge -- and another essential ingredient, wisdom -- the firm faces great risk in the marketplace and its survival probabilities in the long run are very low, says the author.

Samli starts by presenting the key elements that contribute to an information gap in the use of data for marketing decisions. He describes the evolution of information in decision making, the distinction between data and information, and the reasons why data gathering and processing have become so sophisticated and difficult to use. Samli goes on to discuss data collecting techniques, the dimensions and uses of internal data and their parameters, and identifies the best but most underrated data gathering method: observation. Surveys, experimentation, and research are covered next, including attitude and motivation research, with a careful analysis of how the research operation, as well as its products, should be managed. He goes on to explain how information is elicited from data and how it should be used; then, the various control mechanisms for information systems overall, and ends with his own agenda for the improvement of the entire information-driven marketing decision process. A clear, systematic presentation that marketing managers, and their MIS colleagues (who appreciate the need to make data and information decision-maker friendly), will find valuable and immediately beneficial.

Create Real Business Value through Utility Computing & Cloudsourcing - The sheer velocity of product lifecycles, customer transitions, globalization and price commoditization has made the majority of existing corporate IT platforms, organizations and methods obsolete. A massive knowledge and currency gap, combined with ridiculously high capital and operating expenditures are driving businesses into the ground, destroying them slowly from the inside out. IT organizations must undergo a pivotal transformation in operating culture, cost structure and delivery approach if the goal is to grow revenues and accelerate profits. In his book Cloud CIO Strategy, Bruce D'Sena provides context around these developments, and reveals in detail how Cloud service models and smart Cloudsourcing can help companies get ahead of the game.

"The Executive Search Collaboration" presents a new perspective on the single most critical function of any organization: finding, attracting, and retaining the well-qualified executives for key senior management openings. Written by leading executive search consultants and human resources executives, the book provides comprehensive coverage of the mechanics of business executive recruitment, focusing particularly on the interaction between corporate personnel professionals and the headhunters who serve them. Numerous examples drawn from real-life experiences enhance the detailed coverage of the entire search process--from the fundamental elements of choosing an executive search firm and interviewing candidates through complex and sensitive issues such as the recruitment of minorities and the international executive search.

Editor Jones-Parker's introduction sets the tone for the discussions that follow by providing an overview of the synergistic relationship between human resources professionals and executive search consultants. Part I, on the executive search process, includes chapters on the inner workings of the corporate personnel department and the typical high-level search firm as well as a chapter that goes behind the business headlines to reveal details of the most dramatic searches--those for top executives of large corporations. The second section provides a micro-view of the search business and covers the range of services consultants bring to their clients. Individual chapters address research, assessments, closure, and termination. The final section focuses on the three most dynamic areas of the search collaboration: minorities and women, executive recruitment by and for the Federal government, and the globalization of the executive search. The concluding chapter features a dialogue between a senior human resources executive and an experienced search consultant which addresses key issues for the future. Managers and executives on both sides of the executive search collaboration--corporate human resources executives and their outside consultants--will find "The Executive Search Collaboration" an indispensable and addition to their professional libraries.

The rise and fall of nations has been documented throughout history and is directly related to the values they possess. The Salt Factor brings a fresh perspective on the original mission and purpose of the church and her mandate to transform culture. No nation can be sustained without a value system, and there is no value system apart from Christ that is not faulty and subject to decay. This book expresses the mind of God for the 21st century church and causes the reader to revisit the mandate of the Great Commission, which is given to all Christians. Every nation is built upon seven structures and each of these structures must be built on the principles and values of the kingdom of Christ. Comparing the modern church to salt, as Jesus did in Scripture, this book examines its characteristics and presents a clear picture of the transformation the church should bring to the world. The Salt Factor will help you discover your place in society and demonstrate how to be an agent of change in the world around you.