Nowadays, letters, reports and emails are vital components of business practice. Communication is increasingly global, but it’s not any easier to understand or contribute to for non-fluent English speakers. There is increasing pressure to be able to produce effective documents for a business environment but little help out there to do so efficiently, resulting in wasted time and uncomfortable business communication. This book provides a wealth of practical information for any person who aims to produce short, effective documents within the work environment. It offers sensible, valuable and helpful rules for producing effective short reports, memos, letters and e-mails that are clear, concise and easy to read for the busy manager or supervisor working in the demanding setting of modern industry or commerce. But it goes further: not only are rules provided for the inexperienced business writer, but models are proposed which provide solutions for a whole host of business situations – providing help, support and encouragement for the many thousands of business writers who need to feel confident in their writing.

Data mining is well on its way to becoming a recognized discipline in the overlapping areas of IT, statistics, machine learning, and AI. Practical Data Mining for Business presents a user-friendly approach to data mining methods, covering the typical uses to which it is applied. The methodology is complemented by case studies to create a versatile reference book, allowing readers to look for specific methods as well as for specific applications. The book is formatted to allow statisticians, computer scientists, and economists to cross-reference from a particular application or method to sectors of interest.

Resourcing new ventures is-all important for entrepreneurs, and creating a successful business plan can be make or break when it comes to attracting investment. Written by an experienced academic and consultant, this book provides a concise guide for producing the optimal business plan. Business plans are vital when it comes to making strategic decisions and monitoring progress. Writing a Business Plan is designed to teach you how to write your business plan without relying on someone else or internet templates. It will take you through each stage of business-plan writing, with chapters on generating ideas; describing business opportunities; drawing a business road map; and considering marketing, financial, operations, HR, legal and risk. The book includes a range of features to assist you, including worked-through examples. This unique book provides a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs and students of entrepreneurship to hone their skills in writing a useful and comprehensive business plan.

Building upon the technical and organizational groundwork presented in the first edition, Risk Assessment and Decision Making in Business and Industry: A Practical Guide, Second Edition addresses the many aspects of risk/uncertainty (R/U) process implementation. This comprehensive volume covers four broad aspects of R/U: general concepts, i

As business modeling becomes mainstream, every year more and more companies and government agencies are creating models of their businesses. But creating good business models is not a simple endeavor. Business modeling requires new skills. Written by two business modeling experts, this book shows you how to make your business modeling efforts successful. It provides in-depth coverage of each of the four distinct business modeling disciplines, helping you master them all and understand how to effectively combine them. It also details best practices for working with subject matter experts. And it shows how to develop models, and then analyze, simulate, and deploy them. This is essential, authoritative information that will put you miles ahead of everyone who continues to approach business modeling haphazardly. - Provides in-depth coverage of the four business modeling disciplines: process modeling, motivation modeling, organization modeling, and rules modeling - Offers guidance on how to work effectively with subject matter experts and how to run business modeling workshops - Details today's best practices for building effective business models, and describes common mistakes that should be avoided - Describes standards for each business modeling discipline - Explains how to analyze, simulate, and deploy business models - Includes examples both from the authors' work with clients and from a single running example that spans the book

This practical resource provides guidance for writing professionals to sustainably tackle the organizational writing challenges of any professional environment. Rooted in applied experience, Building a Workplace Writing Center guides readers through the process of developing a writing center, from assessing the needs of an organization and pitching the idea of a writing center, to developing a service model and measuring progress. Chapters explore what a writing center can offer, such as one-on-one writing consultations, tailored group workshops, and standardized writing guidance and resources. Although establishing a writing center requires time and a shift in culture up front, it is a rewarding process that produces measurably improved writing, less frustration with the writing and revision processes, and more confident, independent writers. This guide is an invaluable resource for professionals across industries and academia considering how to establish an embedded, sustainable, and cost-effective workplace writing center. It will be of particular interest to business and human resource managers considering how best to improve writing skills within their organizations.

Organizations today exist in an environment of unprecedented change. They do so against a backdrop of a global, competitive marketplace, the fast-paced enablement of technology, amplified regulation and accelerating organizational complexity. Many organizations are addressing change in a sub-optimal way and they are operating without a clear view of where their operational risks lie. It is these dynamics that are leading organizations to recognise and embrace Business Architecture. Despite this environment, Business Architecture can be a difficult ’sell’ - it is often perceived to be abstract and lacking in tangible delivery. To succeed, Business Architecture must be pragmatic and, to be sustainable, it must focus on achieving long-term value and, at the same time, recognise the shorter-term tactical needs of the organisation. With these challenges in mind, this book provides a practical guide on how to employ Business Architecture and how to build a balanced proposition that delivers value to a broad range of stakeholders. As the book states, Business Architecture should not be practised in isolation, nor should it be thought of as a one-off process; it needs to be woven into the fabric of the organization. And so the authors illustrate the opportunities for weaving the Business Architecture Practice into this fabric through the various stakeholders and life cycles that exist, both formally and informally, within an organization. Whilst recognizing best practice, this book explores a new, inspirational level of Business Architecture whilst acknowledging that the best way to realize the vision is one step at a time.

The non-technical guide to building a booming tech-enabled business Thinking of starting a technology-enabled business? Or maybe you just want to increase your technology mojo so you can do your job better? You do not need to learn programming to participate in the development of today’s hottest technologies. But there are a few easy-to-grasp foundation concepts that will help you engage with a technical team. Starting a Tech Business explains in practical, actionable terms how to formulate and reality test new ideas package what you learn into frameworks that are highly actionable for engineers understand key foundation concepts about modern software and systems participate in an agile/lean development team as the ‘voice of the customer’ Even if you have a desire to learn to program (and I highly recommend doing whatever unlocks your ‘inner tinkerer’), these foundation concepts will help you target what exactly you want to understand about hands-on technology development. While a decade ago the barriers to creating a technology-enabled business required a pole vault, getting started today only requires a determined step in the right direction. Starting a Tech Business supplies the tools prospective entrepreneurs and business enterprises need to avoid common pitfalls and succeed in the fast-paced world of high-tech business. Successful execution requires thoughtful, evidence-based product formulation, well-articulated design, economic use of systems, adaptive management of technical resources, and empathetic deployment to customers. Starting a Tech Business offers practical checklists and frameworks that business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals can apply to any tech-based business idea, whether you’re developing software and products or beginning a technology-enabled business. You’ll learn: 1. How to apply today’s leading management frameworks to a tech business 2. How to package your product idea in a way that’s highly actionable for your technical team 3. How to ask the right questions about technology selection and product architecture 4. Strategies to leverage what your technology ecosystem has to offer 5. How to carefully define the roles on your team, and then effectively evaluate candidates 6. The most common disconnects between engineers and business people and how to avoid them 7. How you can apply process design to your tech business without stifling creativity 8. The steps to avoid the most common pitfalls tech founders encounter Now is one of the best times to start a technology-enabled business, and anyone can do it with the right amount and kind of preparation. Starting a Tech Business shows you how to move a product idea to market quickly and inexpensively—and to tap into the stream of wealth that a tech business can provide.

Whether you are a CEO, CFO, board member, or an IT executive, From Business Strategy to Information Technology Roadmap: A Practical Guide for Executives and Board Members lays out a practical, how-to approach to identifying business strategies and creating value-driven technology roadmaps in your organization. Unlike many other books on the subject, you will not find theories or grandiose ideas here. This book uses numerous examples, illustrations, and case studies to show you how to solve the real-world problems that business executives and technology leaders face on a day-to-day basis. Filled with actionable advice you can use immediately, the authors introduce Agile and the Lean mindset in a manner that the people in your business and technology departments can easily understand. Ideal for executives in both the commercial and nonprofit sectors, it includes two case studies: one about a commercial family business that thrived to become a multi-million-dollar company and the other about a nonprofit association based in New York City that fights against child illiteracy.

Highlighting the skills and considerations needed to manage products, Virginia Grose introduces key processes such as product development, the supply chain and branding to help you quickly get to grips with the business side of fashion. Examining traditional and newer roles within the industry, discussing the roles of buyers, retailers and merchandisers interviews and case studies give insight into the realities of this competitive industry. This second edition has all new case studies, interviews and projects as well as coverage of sustainable practice, the use of social media, the circular economy and slow fashion. There's also more on digital storytelling, online and offline retailing and elements of retail entertainment for customers plus the impact of fast fashion throughout the industry.