Strategic Managerial Accounting – A Primer for the IT Professional
$21.99Managerial Accounting is a prognostic as well as a diagnostic tool and therefore useful for making key day to day decisions. However the common view, especially in the IT industry, is that Managerial Accounting is for the Accountants despite the fact that IT professionals are regularly confronted by financial situations such as project pricing, measuring performance, estimating risk, allocating costs etc. This means that every proposal needs to be vetted by the respective specialists. While this may be desirable and even necessary, the speed and reliability of the process could improve if the people who originate the proposal had knowledge of the fundamentals that go into the decision making process.
Applied International Finance I: Managing Foreign Exchange Risk, Second Edition
$21.99This text is designed for use in a course in an applied international corporate finance for managers and executives. Instead of the “encyclopedic” approach, the text focuses on the two main issues of interest to managers who deal with overseas operations. The first main issue is how uncertain foreign exchange (FX) rate changes affect a firm’s ongoing cash flows and equity value, and what can be done about that risk. The second main issue is the estimation of the cost of capital for international operations and the evaluation of overseas investment proposals. Numerous examples of real world companies are used. The text is divided into two parts based on the two main issues. Each part includes a case that unifies the ideas. In Part I, the case company has overseas operations and is faced with ongoing FX exposure in corporate revenues. The decision-maker estimates the FX exposure and considers financial hedging using foreign currency debt and currency swaps. The accounting implications are also considered. In Part II, the case company evaluates a proposal to expand production for a foreign market, with location alternatives being the home country, the foreign market country, or a “cheap-labor” emerging market country.
Marketing Essentials for Independent Lodgings
$21.99Independently owned lodging such as private vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, small boutique hotels, AirBnB nightly rentals, Ecolodges, guest ranches, etc., share a pressing need to address their most challenging business obstacle: achieving and maintaining high occupancy rates. Ultimately, this goal requires an integrated and multi-media approach using the most current information. Essential Marketing Tools for Independently Owned Lodging provides just that – tools that owners, aspiring owners, and hospitality students need to address the ever-changing challenge to fulfill vacancies and maintain profitability. Independent properties make up more than half of the lodgings in the United States. In the rapidly changing digital environment, many legacy managers find themselves struggling to create and oversee a diversified marketing platform that will ensure enough “heads in beds” to sustain the enterprise. As new areas of lodging have opened up in the sharing economy, especially vacation rentals and informal host accommodations such as AirBnB – and as these segments of the industry mature – they too need assistance in moving beyond one or two distributions channels (i.e., AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway) and broadening their reach. This book can be used as a textbook for students of hotel and hospitality management, for aspiring owners and their real estate representatives and by individual owners and managers already in the market.
Public Speaking Kaleidoscope
$21.99This book helps the reader to understand the various interconnected components of communication. The component of these theories are like small pieces of glass. These three lenses make a Kaleidoscope for the reader to see a beautiful pattern of these components that answer the questions above. Finally, the book provides a conceptual framework to the readers to help them make persuasive speeches and become charismatic leaders. This book is intended for a broad audience including students, scholars, researchers and professors in undergraduate and graduate schools, entrepreneurs and practicing business executives around the world. The objective is to give a quick view into the ocean of academic literature and help further understanding on this topic. The book will also have many examples and best practices taken from famous speeches of leaders around the world.
Tough Calls: How to Move Beyond Indecision and Good Intentions
$21.99The global economic turmoil that began in 2008 has taught numerous lessons—the most important one: When leaders make good decisions, little else matters. When they refuse to make decisions or show a pattern of making bad ones, nothing else matters. Corporate leaders should hear this as a clarion call that awakened us all to the fact that we can no longer afford the short-sighted luxury of considering decision-making a passive, pristine process. It’s not. It’s messy. Blaming failed mergers and acquisitions on “incompatible cultures” hastens the formation of the trap. Leaders blame “culture,” but, in truth, bad judgment and the fear of failure deserve more responsibility. Soon, patterns of bad judgment—those things that don’t work but that people feel loathe to change because “we’ve always done it that way”—emerge. The trap takes the form of anti-learning, anti-change, and eventually, anti-success. A paradox has emerged. On one hand, most agree that this trap compromises effective performance. On the other hand, leaders devote almost no focus to preventing, avoiding, or managing the trap. We need new ways of thinking about the environment of the organization—new ways to describe and understand companies—ways that will help us design and implement interventions that reduce or eliminate problems, not perpetuate them. Tough Calls is an attempt to reconcile this paradox and point the way to better leadership and decision-making.
A Primer on Corporate Governance: Italy
$21.99This book will provide a comprehensive insight of the characteristics and development of corporate governance in Italy. Both the external institutional mechanisms, such as the codes of best practices and the mandatory auditor rotation, and the internal corporate governance devices, such as boards’ structure and composition and director compensation, will be analyzed. In particular, this book is presented to provide the reader an insight on the ownership structure and the control enhancement mechanisms adopted by the Italian dominant shareholders as well as the typical – and unique – two tier-board structure, with a board of directors and a board of statutory auditors, that is widely adopted among Italian companies. This book reveals that while corporate governance in Italy has – to some extent – converged towards other European and international models, there are certain core features that remain (and are likely to do so in the near future as well) and their knowledge and understanding is relevant to investors and other stakeholders.
Co-Create: Harnessing the Human Element in Project Management
$21.99Creative video by the author, just created! Check it out! https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-martin-b488103/
Successfully moving an organization forward is a complex task. Historically professional organizations, like the Project Management Institute, have done a ?ne job of providing best practices and technical tools to support project managers in the ?eld. These tools will continue to be critical in the future. The opportunity now is to add to that body of knowledge by addressing, more completely, the human experience. In reviewing the literature, practitioners and academics alike have noted that committed teams play an important role in creating exceptional project outcomes. What has been missing is the connection between what’s known about employee engagement and commitment, from a general management perspective, and a practical method to integrate that knowledge with project management tools.
This book will provide a comprehensive map for project managers to learn about the human experience during a project. It will present speci?c practices for generating commitment that can be easily incorporated by project managers. The Co-create Model presents a conceptual understanding and a method not currently found in the literature.
The Facilitative Leader: Managing Performance Without Controlling People
$21.99Most managers struggle to decide whether a micro-management or a “hands-off” management approach is best. The resolution to this challenge is what I call “engaged management.” An engaged manager creates an environment in which his or her people self-mange and self-motivate. And the best leaders create an environment in which people take responsibility for their own performance and take the initiative to manage their own performance.
Life of a Lifetime: Inspiration for Creating Your Extraordinary Life
$21.99I have read “Life of a Lifetime” and it made a great impression on me. The theme of the book is remarkably current. When one is experiencing the emotional difficulties that many youngsters and active adults are facing in today’s hectic and goal-obsessed world, a beacon of light is a welcome gift. Christoph’s book is this beacon of light. He discusses the kind of problems that are rife in today’s society and also offers a solution for each of those problems. The book is beautifully written, clear and concise. It’s a must-read if you’re dealing with psychological challenges or have existential questions. — Prof. Em. Herman Van der Wee. Leuven University
This book is designed to be a refreshing change from the vague rhetoric and over-complicated how-to s of the usual spiritual self-help book. Life of a Lifetime: Inspiration for Creating an Extraordinary Life makes complex mind-body-spirit concepts easy to understand and apply in your everyday life. It’s all about simple, practical ways to empower you to make changes and create your life of a lifetime. Concepts discussed include learning how to create everyday happiness, how to eliminate the turmoil in your life and how to discover your life purpose and what to do about it. Business Leaders with a strong interest in holistic personal development will find this book compelling to help restore work-life balance, realign their career with their life’s mission and values, and grow as a person in order to enhance their leadership skills.
From Some Amazon Readers!
“A refreshing modern-day view on life, the soul, and connecting with one’s true purpose in this lifetime. For all walks of life, this book provides a useful, easily readable insight on the one true question: What is the meaning of life? This refreshing view on our full journey -from the inception of our soul birth to where we are heading- reframes thinking, provokes shifts in behaviour, attitude, and learning of life experiences to reapply for the greater good in both a personal and our professional outlook.”
“Life of a Lifetime by Christoph Spiessens is a clear guide to living your life as you intended, before you came to earth to have this experience.
Christoph explains how we start our spiritual journey of awareness and gratitude for the life we are living right now and how we can more clearly align with our soul’s purpose. By letting go of the need to control and direct our lives from the ego we allow our soul to get in the driver’s seat and life opens to us.
There are complex ideas in this book delivered with clarity and simplicity, the essence of which can drop into your consciousness and take effect. I was very glad for the chapter summaries which helped remind me what I had actually covered in the chapter I had read, because there is wisdom on every page. It is a case of much food for thought within each chapter.
Christoph kindly weaves his own journey through the pages so you can be sure he is speaking from his experience not from a platform of spiritual righteousness. This makes his wisdom authentic and accessible.
Do yourself a favour buy this book and read it slowly, gently and deeply – it will continue to reward you way after you close the book.”
“I have read many self help books enjoying most of them but sometimes forgetting the words of wisdom once the book is put away, this book is different. Having read Christoph’s last book ‘Connecting to Your Inner Light’I was eagerly awaiting the release of this one and I was not disappointed. Christoph has a very easy way with words that are written from the heart in an easy to read format. Right from page one I found that like his previous book I could not put it down. The book inspired me to achieve something that I had been considering for weeks on end but had not got the courage to go through with. The lightness I felt afterwards and the positive comments from friends who noticed my lighter attitude where a real bonus.
The book will steer you on to bring lightness, positivity and self worth into your life and keep it there! not an easy task at times but already I have put into action Chris’ advice for keeping calm in a tense situation and it worked! I found the advice I had read came back into my mind easily and helped the situation and myself so much.
It is amazing that this young man has so much wisdom as I would expect the knowledge and guidance he offers to come from someone much older than he is.
I have no hesitation in recomending this book to young and old alike and I am infact giving a copy to a few friends as presents. I would go as far as to say that every home should have a copy of this book!”
“I can not remember the last time I read a book in two days and felt completely overwhelmed when finished .
I am a very spiritual person and I have bought many books in the past only to be left in the middle of them completely disorientated and confused, asking myself 1000 of questions and wondering the meaning of it all .
Thanks to Christoph , I have now a clearer picture and I can relate to everything mentioned in his book . Christoph has a way to write which is beyond any expectations, it’s easy to read, easy to understand and it is very passionate .
I felt very emotional when reading certain content and I am thanking Christoph for sharing these moments with us . Thank you Christoph for sharing your gift and passion with us. I will encourage anyone to buy Christoph’s books, not only ” Life of a Lifetime ” but also ” Connecting to your Inner light.” Christoph’s book is a true inspiration – a wake up call to a wonderful path.”
“I downloaded a sample of this book to my Kindle and loved the easy way that it was written. I downloaded the full copy immediately and it hasn’t disappointed. Christoph writes gently and simply to a part of us that doesn’t always listen! He talks through his own experiences and, in doing so, helps guide us through our difficulties – all the usual suspects are here. There are practical hints, tips, and reminders, as well as new concepts and ideas, put forward for our consideration. For me, at just the right time, he gave me some calmness, support and space in a life that was full of stress and work. It’s been like having my own coach in my pocket – well, my handbag actually! I highly recommend it. Take some time out for you, and look at what you’re really doing with your life – you’re worth it.”
“Very positive, inspiring thoughts written in the most simply way. Full of interesting examples. This book will make you stop in the rush of everyday life and think how to make yourself and your life feel happy and extraordinary. Very highly recommended!”