"All of our working lives we have heard the mantra, 'a reputation lost is never regained.' Still, the firms we work for, admire and invest in seem to take costly reputation hits all too often. Everyone interested in managing, regulating or investing in public firms will find Nir Kossovsky's book a wonderful read through reputations won, lost and regained over the last 20 years. This is the first book which goes beyond platitudes to explain how to spot value-destroying reputation risk and how to manage it or live with its consequences. Couldn't be more timely." -Tom Skwarek, Managing Director|Structuring and Solutions Group, Unicredit Bank AG; previously Managing Director|Corporate Strategic Solutions, Swiss Re. "There are fiduciary reasons why corporate directors would benefit from reading this book. There is also a personal benefit. The collapse of a company's reputation can stain the personal reputation of its directors." -George Miles, Member of the Board of Directors, AIG, EQT, Harley Davidson, HFF, and Wesco. "Nir Kossovsky has written a gripping tale, first educating the reader by distinguishing between corporate branding and reputation, then alarming us with case histories of mismanagement of corporate reputational crises, and finally reassuring all with a unique solution, i.e., insuring against the risk of reputational loss." -John H. Bennett, Partner, Global Brand Positioning, previously Chief Marketing Officer, Visa, Inc. "While directors know reputation is important, it often is treated as a vague 'good' until something bad happens. Nir Kossovsky does a great job, with many examples, of connecting reputation to stock price and to behaviors, before and after crises. If you are a director, a senior manager, or a regulator, you should read this book and remember the lessons it offers. There is no office which will restore reputation, but careful planning and quick response, as Nir points out, can make a big difference." -Herbert S. Winokur, Jr., former chairman on Enron's Board Finance Committee and a director of many for-profits and non-profits A company that takes a hit to its reputation-BP after the Gulf oil spill, Barclays after fiddling LIBOR, News Corp after the phone hacking scandal-enters a world of grief: market value falls along with employee morale, regulatory scrutiny increases, and customers defect and boycott. Reputation, Stock Price, and You: Why the Market Rewards Some Companies and Punishes Others shows how a company's reputation is created and how reputational value impacts corporate P&L and the personal finances of its many stakeholders. Better yet, it shows what you can do to profit from, increase, protect, monitor, evaluate, restore, and even insure reputational value. If your job, bonus, options, salary, or investments depend on the stock price of a public company-or on the sales, profitability, or value of a private company-you need to read this book to understand the concrete steps you can take to improve your firm's reputation, reduce risks to its finances and industry standing, and reap the highest reputational dividends. Using dozens of case studies, Reputation, Stock Price, and You: Explains how stakeholders, and their expectations, both shape and are shaped by a company's reputation Describes how reputations for ethics, innovation, good governance, quality, safety, sustainability, and security are created and lost Explains why both corporate and individual stakeholder behavior affect reputational value Shows how you can influence the expectations and behaviors of stakeholders, which in turn can improve corporate finances, reduce operational risk, and increase stock price or market value Provides sensitive tools for tracking and predicting stock price as a function of reputational value metrics The majority of directors at U.S. public companies now count reputation as their firm's #1 concern, and with good reason. A firm with a superior reputation gains many benefits: Customers are more willing to pay higher prices, vendors and employees offer better terms for their services, creditors and equity investors offer better terms for capital, and regulators tend to be more forgiving. This book shows how to achieve and sustain a stellar reputation and how to convert it into its tangible form: reputational value.

Features a balance between theory, proofs, and examples and provides applications across diverse fields of study

Ordinary Differential Equations presents a thorough discussion of first-order differential equations and progresses to equations of higher order. The book transitions smoothly from first-order to higher-order equations, allowing readers to develop a complete understanding of the related theory.

Featuring diverse and interesting applications from engineering, bioengineering, ecology, and biology, the book anticipates potential difficulties in understanding the various solution steps and provides all the necessary details. Topical coverage includes:

First-Order Differential Equations

Higher-Order Linear Equations

Applications of Higher-Order Linear Equations

Systems of Linear Differential Equations

Laplace Transform

Series Solutions

Systems of Nonlinear Differential Equations

In addition to plentiful exercises and examples throughout, each chapter concludes with a summary that outlines key concepts and techniques. The book's design allows readers to interact with the content, while hints, cautions, and emphasis are uniquely featured in the margins to further help and engage readers.

Written in an accessible style that includes all needed details and steps, Ordinary Differential Equations is an excellent book for courses on the topic at the upper-undergraduate level. The book also serves as a valuable resource for professionals in the fields of engineering, physics, and mathematics who utilize differential equations in their everyday work.

An Instructors Manual is available upon request. Email [email protected] for information. There is also a Solutions Manual available. The ISBN is 9781118398999.

These proceedings summarize discussion at a symposium convened by the RAND Corporation about the challenges posed by misconduct by top-level executives; on the risk factors that contribute to such misconduct; and on practical steps that could be taken to strengthen compliance and ethical tone. White papers written by some presenters are included.

RAND convened a symposium on the perspective and role of corporate boards of directors in overseeing their firms1 ethics and compliance matters. These conference proceedings summarize the event and the discussions, which focused on oversight challenges that directors face, board responsibility for corporate culture, and steps that business leaders and policymakers might take to better encourage and empower directors in their oversight role.

In March 2009, RAND convened a conference on the role and perspectives of corporate chief ethics and compliance officers (CECOs). The discussions featured input from current and former officers and other stakeholders in the nonprofit sector, academia, and government. Themes included the unique position of CECOs in corporate management, the relevance of ethics and culture as a prophylaxis to malfeasance, and the importance of open communication and employee reporting in guarding against fraud and misconduct.

This study assesses whether Army policy, doctrine, and guidance adequately address environmental activities in post-conflict phases of contingencies. A review of policy, doctrine, operational experience, and documentation, as well as interviews with Army personnel, indicates that environmental concerns can have significant impacts.Recommendations are made for improving the Army's approach to environmental issues in contingency operations.It looks at the growing importance of environmental considerations for the Army in contingency operations, and recommendations for ways to better address environmental issues in Army planning, training, policy, guidance, and operations.

This book updates the policy context of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety initiative; documents the current priorities and activities undertaken; and assesses contributions of funded projects and dissemination actions to support adoption of evidence-based safe practices.It discusses implications for future AHRQ policy, programming, and research; suggests ways to strengthen AHRQ activities.It evaluates progress of the patient safety initiative led by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), focusing on how the current experiences of AHRQ and its funded projects can be used to strengthen subsequent program activities.

Though the historical occurrence of maritime terrorist attacks has been limited, maritime vessels and facilities may nevertheless be vulnerable to attack, with the potential for very significant consequences in the form of mass casualties, severe property damage, and disruption of commerce. This book explores maritime terrorism threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences, as well as the application of civil liability.

Recommendations for improving the maternal and child health care system in the Pittsburgh region. An overview of a family-centered, community-based approach to improving the maternal and child health care system in the Pittsburgh region. Based on a review of best practices in maternal and child health care and an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, and barriers to improvement in the current system, targets for local policy reform are identified and a vision, strategy, and action plan for achieving systemwide improvements in maternal and child health care processes and outcomes are outlined.