Managing Local Governments

Managing Local Governments

Author: Emanuele Padovani

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-17

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 113651564X

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Local Government is an area where management skills are tested to the extreme. With political considerations evident both locally and nationally, managing resources can be complex and subject to change. This book introduces new concepts and new ways of doing business that can greatly enhance the value of the services a local government provides to its citizens, without putting a greater financial burden on taxpayers. Padovani and Young present out-of-the-box thinking based on solid research and experience to discuss topics such as: Incorporating outcome indicators into strategic planning and budgeting Building a LG’s budget with ‘cost drivers’ Expanding the concept of ‘enterprise funds’ Assessing and better managing the risk associated with outsourcing Using the concept of ‘shadow pricing’ to compare public with private sector costs for services This book is a must-read for students of public administration and management, senior and middle managers in local governments around the world, and citizens who are concerned with more effective management of their local government’s programs and services. A list of suggested extra case studies for each chapter, and a description of the process to follow for ordering them, may be obtained by sending an email to [email protected]. You should request the document "Case Study Suggestions for Managing Local Governments".


Mapping Experiences

Mapping Experiences

Author: Jim Kalbach

Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."

Published: 2016-04-25

Total Pages: 652

ISBN-13: 1491923482

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Customers who have inconsistent, broken experiences with products and services are understandably frustrated. But it’s worse when people inside these companies can’t pinpoint the problem because they’re too focused on business processes. This practical book shows your company how to use alignment diagrams to turn valuable customer observations into actionable insight. With this unique tool, you can visually map your existing customer experience and envision future solutions. Product and brand managers, marketing specialists, and business owners will learn how experience diagramming can help determine where business goals and customer perspectives intersect. Once you’re armed with this data, you can provide users with real value. Mapping Experiences is divided into three parts: Understand the underlying principles of diagramming, and discover how these diagrams can inform strategy Learn how to create diagrams with the four iterative modes in the mapping process: setting up a mapping initiative, investigating the evidence, visualizing the process, and using diagrams in workshops and experiments See key diagrams in action, including service blueprints, customer journey maps, experience maps, mental models, and spatial maps and ecosystem models


Giving Voice to Values

Giving Voice to Values

Author: Mary C. Gentile

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2010-08-24

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0300161328

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How can you effectively stand up for your values when pressured by your boss, customers, or shareholders to do the opposite? Drawing on actual business experiences as well as on social science research, Babson College business educator and consultant Mary Gentile challenges the assumptions about business ethics at companies and business schools. She gives business leaders, managers, and students the tools not just to recognize what is right, but also to ensure that the right things happen. The book is inspired by a program Gentile launched at the Aspen Institute with Yale School of Management, and now housed at Babson College, with pilot programs in over one hundred schools and organizations, including INSEAD and MIT Sloan School of Management. She explains why past attempts at preparing business leaders to act ethically too often failed, arguing that the issue isn’t distinguishing what is right or wrong, but knowing how to act on your values despite opposing pressure. Through research-based advice, practical exercises, and scripts for handling a wide range of ethical dilemmas, Gentile empowers business leaders with the skills to voice and act on their values, and align their professional path with their principles. Giving Voice to Values is an engaging, innovative, and useful guide that is essential reading for anyone in business.


Value Proposition Design

Value Proposition Design

Author: Alexander Osterwalder

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-01-28

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1118968077

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The authors of the international bestseller Business Model Generation explain how to create value propositions customers can’t resist Value Proposition Design helps you tackle the core challenge of every business — creating compelling products and services customers want to buy. This highly practical book, paired with its online companion, will teach you the processes and tools you need to create products that sell. Using the same stunning visual format as the authors’ global bestseller, Business Model Generation, this sequel explains how to use the “Value Proposition Canvas” to design, test, create, and manage products and services customers actually want. Value Proposition Design is for anyone who has been frustrated by new product meetings based on hunches and intuitions; it’s for anyone who has watched an expensive new product launch fail in the market. The book will help you understand the patterns of great value propositions, get closer to customers, and avoid wasting time with ideas that won’t work. You’ll learn the simple process of designing and testing value propositions, that perfectly match customers’ needs and desires. In addition the book gives you exclusive access to an online companion on Strategyzer.com. You will be able to assess your work, learn from peers, and download pdfs, checklists, and more. Value Proposition Design is an essential companion to the ”Business Model Canvas” from Business Model Generation, a tool embraced globally by startups and large corporations such as MasterCard, 3M, Coca Cola, GE, Fujitsu, LEGO, Colgate-Palmolive, and many more. Value Proposition Design gives you a proven methodology for success, with value propositions that sell, embedded in profitable business models."


Obtaining Value from Big Data for Service Systems, Volume I

Obtaining Value from Big Data for Service Systems, Volume I

Author: Stephen H. Kaisler

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2019-05-29

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1949443566

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This volume will assist readers in fitting big data analysis into their service-based organizations. Volume I of this two-volume series focuses on the role of big data in service delivery systems. It discusses the definition and orientation to big data, applications of it in service delivery systems, how to obtain results that can affect/enhance service delivery, and how to build an effective big data organization. This volume will assist readers in fitting big data analysis into their service-based organizations. It will also help readers understand how to improve the use of big data to enhance their service-oriented organizations.


Service Strategy in Action

Service Strategy in Action

Author: Christian Kowalkowski

Publisher:

Published: 2017-03-29

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9780692819104

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In today's competitive global markets, simply making a great product is not enough. To achieve profitable growth and stand out among competitors, you must start to strategically compete through service and innovative solutions for business customers. Professors Christian Kowalkowski and Wolfgang Ulaga guide you how to shift your business from a goods-centric to a service-savvy model. The authors' proprietary twelve-step roadmap to profitable service growth will help you break out of a narrow product-centric logic and discover how to � determine if your company is "fit-for-service," � make the most of your existing services, � innovate and create value-added services and customer solutions beyond your products, � embed a true service-centric culture in your organization, � drive change and align your service strategy with corporate goals, � transform your product-centric sales force into a service-savvy sales organization, � design an organizational structure that promotes service growth, and � align your interests with distributors and partners. Kowalkowski and Ulaga's twelve-step roadmap is based on rigorous research and long-standing experience working with businesses. They have worked with hundreds of managers in industrial and professional services companies, conducted research projects, led executive workshops, and published numerous articles in scientific and managerial journals, including Harvard Business Review, among others. Here, they share not only their own insights but the lessons learned from successful case studies and years of extensive research.


A Complete Guide to Wireless Sensor Networks

A Complete Guide to Wireless Sensor Networks

Author: Ankur Dumka

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2019-05-31

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1000008789

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This book provides comprehensive coverage of the major aspects in designing, implementing, and deploying wireless sensor networks by discussing present research on WSNs and their applications in various disciplines. It familiarizes readers with the current state of WSNs and how such networks can be improved to achieve effectiveness and efficiency. It starts with a detailed introduction of wireless sensor networks and their applications and proceeds with layered architecture of WSNs. It also addresses prominent issues such as mobility, heterogeneity, fault-tolerance, intermittent connectivity, and cross layer optimization along with a number of existing solutions to stimulate future research.


Value-ology

Value-ology

Author: Simon Kelly

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-01-19

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 3319456261

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This book offers both marketing and sales professionals a rare combined insight into both worlds to continuously capture customer intelligence and create value, by blending detailed research with academic rigor and commercial experience of the authors in both Europe and North America. It has never been easier to produce great marketing content and sales collateral. And yet, 90% of the content that marketing produces is NEVER used by sales. Why not? Because it’s not relevant to the audience or the prospect doesn’t even know the content exists. Furthermore 58% of deals end up in “no decision” because Sales has not presented value effectively. Companies are creating lots of noise but failing to resonate with the customers. So what? The danger, aside from marketing wasting tens of millions of dollars on ineffective content and tools, is that customers will disengage. 94% of prospects say they have completely disengaged with vendors because of irrelevant content. In order to grow fast, the authors argue, Sales and Marketing teams need to slow down. They need to work together to truly understand their customers’ needs, wants, motivations and pain points so that they can offer customized “value”. The book sets out how to establish a formal program to continuously capture customer intelligence and insights – the shiny gems of understanding that help prospects to connect the dots – so that value can be consistently articulated in marketing and sales conversations. By integrating the best ideas and practice from commercial experience and academic research the authors show how to create value across the entire marketing and sales value chain – not only get a new customer, but to continue to create value for future purchases by creating “post-sales” value.


ITIL® 4 Essentials: Your essential guide for the ITIL 4 Foundation exam and beyond, second edition

ITIL® 4 Essentials: Your essential guide for the ITIL 4 Foundation exam and beyond, second edition

Author: Claire Agutter

Publisher: IT Governance Ltd

Published: 2020-04-28

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1787782204

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ITIL® 4 Essentials contains everything you need to know to pass the ITIL 4 Foundation Certificate, plus more. It covers practices and concepts that are not addressed as part of the Foundation syllabus, making it ideal for newly qualified practitioners. This second edition has been updated to align with amendments to the ITIL® 4 Foundation syllabus.


Data Governance

Data Governance

Author: John Ladley

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2019-11-08

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0128158328

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Managing data continues to grow as a necessity for modern organizations. There are seemingly infinite opportunities for organic growth, reduction of costs, and creation of new products and services. It has become apparent that none of these opportunities can happen smoothly without data governance. The cost of exponential data growth and privacy / security concerns are becoming burdensome. Organizations will encounter unexpected consequences in new sources of risk. The solution to these challenges is also data governance; ensuring balance between risk and opportunity. Data Governance, Second Edition, is for any executive, manager or data professional who needs to understand or implement a data governance program. It is required to ensure consistent, accurate and reliable data across their organization. This book offers an overview of why data governance is needed, how to design, initiate, and execute a program and how to keep the program sustainable. This valuable resource provides comprehensive guidance to beginning professionals, managers or analysts looking to improve their processes, and advanced students in Data Management and related courses. With the provided framework and case studies all professionals in the data governance field will gain key insights into launching successful and money-saving data governance program. - Incorporates industry changes, lessons learned and new approaches - Explores various ways in which data analysts and managers can ensure consistent, accurate and reliable data across their organizations - Includes new case studies which detail real-world situations - Explores all of the capabilities an organization must adopt to become data driven - Provides guidance on various approaches to data governance, to determine whether an organization should be low profile, central controlled, agile, or traditional - Provides guidance on using technology and separating vendor hype from sincere delivery of necessary capabilities - Offers readers insights into how their organizations can improve the value of their data, through data quality, data strategy and data literacy - Provides up to 75% brand-new content compared to the first edition