The FT Guides – serie

Learn how to evaluate any investment fund before deciding where to place your money so you can ensure you generate more wealth and protect your cash.

This valuable guide will help you make the right investment decisions by:

- Explaining the procedures that should be followed before investing money anywhere.

- Helping you cut through marketing language to get a real sense of how risky a company’s strategy may be.

- Showing you what questions to ask of investment fund managers so you’re more comfortable investing in a company.

- Showing you how to recognise the warning signs of risky investments.

This book will also help you identify companies who consistently deliver high returns, thereby allowing you to generate more wealth by investing in successful, and stable, funds.

Whether you are an executive or a student, beginner or expert, this book is designed to explain and illustrate the working essentials of finance with clarity and speed.

This desktop companion deliberately combines essential theory with real-world application, using short, focused chapters to help you find what you need and implement it right away. www.pearsoned.co.uk/estrada

The Financial Times Guide to How the Stock Market Really Works is an introduction to the complex world of the financial markets. Whether you are new to investing, or already have a share portfolio, this is an intelligent guidebook will guide you safely through the often confusing world of investing. Written especially for the ordinary investor, it will provide you with the key strategies you need to make money on the stock market.

Whether you need to understand other people’s calculations to make confident business decisions, or formulate investment choices based on your own numbers, this book will give you the tools you need.

Banks and financial institutions, businesses and politicians often spin their statistics as they know they can rely on customers or constituents not to understand or check maths and formulas.

This book introduces you to the basic tools of maths, statistics and business calculations so that that you can understand the numbers, work out your own calculations and make better investing, saving and business decisions.

 If you think spread betting is complex and high risk then think again. Stuart Fieldhouse demonstrates that with the right knowledge and approach it needn’t be. From opening an account and carrying out basic technical analysis through to assessing market opportunities and minimising risk, this book offers a comprehensive walk-through of everything you need to know to trade successfully.

The Financial Times Guide to Spread Betting gives you the tools to spread bet with confidence. The book includes:

Beginning with the very basics of technical analysis and market price behaviour, this book teaches you how to apply these concepts and principles to your own trading.

With this comprehensive and straight talking guide you will soon be using the same successful techniques and formulas as the professionals.

 Learn how to:

Gives you the confidence to ask the right business questions, make the correct finance decisions and competently speak the language of commerce to your colleagues, managers, customers and stakeholders.

The Financial Times Guide to Finance for Non-Financial Managers will show you how to transform seemingly complex financial information and statistics into data that makes sense. And into data that you’ll feel confident talking about. You’ll learn the language of finance, which will help you better formulate decisions on a day-to-day basis. The book will also help you identify the warning signals and understand key performance indications and ratios. You’ll learn how to make better financial decisions, identify ways to increase profits and have increased confidence in approaching capital projects and making sound business decisions.

The critical knowledge you need to plan, write and deliver your next presentation with maximum impact. Written by a co-founder of the Professional Speaking Association, this book focuses on getting you the results you need from your presentation, whether you are selling a product or service, a proposed change or even your own skills and abilities. It will show you how to persuade your audience by being relevant, clear, engaging and memorable.

FINANCIAL TIMES ESSENTIAL GUIDES: THE KNOW-HOW YOU NEED TO GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT

With over 650 tips, tactics, techniques and thought provoking business questions, The Financial Times Guide to New Business Development is the authoritative, down-to-earth guide to attracting more customers and clients, getting them to pay the prices you want and influencing them to recommend others to buy from you as well.

By the time you have read and digested the 650+ tips, tools, techniques and strategic questions in this book you will have the answers to all of these questions. You will also know what to do to get bigger and better results.

“I am 100% confident that you will find the book engaging, provocative and informative and that, if you follow the steps, you will automatically experience massive improvements in your business development results.” – Ian Cooper

Shortlisted for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship category in the 2012 Chartered Management Institute's Management Book of the Year Awards.

Whether you are writing a proposal, a report, a presentation or an email, this book will show you how to write to persuade staff, colleagues, board directors and customers. The Financial Times Essential Guide to Business Writing demonstrates how your choice of language can influence your reader. It gives you clear examples to show you the dos and don'ts of successful business writing and essential tips that are proven to make your writing more effective.

It shows you how to write for different audiences and in different media using style, structure and the psychology of language to your advantage. It also gives you the writing secrets used by the world's best advertising writers, which you can use to great effect in your own business writing.

Gain the knowledge and confidence you need to build and manage budgets and forecast financial information.

This book demystifies budgets and forecasts, providing simple explanations and clear examples. It includes integrated checklists, goals and milestones, to ensure you are on target to achieve the best results.

Part of The Financial Times Essential Guides series: Task-focused and results-orientated, the essential guides are for every manager who wants to move their skills beyond the ordinary to the best.

Learn how to make your company more efficient, increase customer value with less work and make better use of your organisation’s resources by implementing a Lean management strategy.

The Financial Times Guide to Lean is a guide to the tools that are used to implement Lean, showing you how to apply Lean practices fully into your organisation or company.

This book offers a comprehensive and objective look at lean strategy and how it can be tailored for different companies.

The tools and ideas to help you lead with confidence and achieve better results through your team.

This book provides all the tools and skills to help you be more effective in leading your team and achieving higher levels of performance. It focuses on three key elements: you as the leader, the principles of team working and team building, and getting individuals to contribute and perform.

As well as identifying obstacles and pitfalls, it assists you in improving your skills and coaches you to work out what you could be doing better.

The Financial Times Guide to Leadership is a one-stop shop for professionals at every stage of their leadership journey. Whether you’re just starting out or are looking to upgrade your current skills, this practical guide takes you through the core building tools of self-awareness, influence and execution.

With thought-provoking exercises and action points throughout, plus handy chapter summaries for when you need to access information, this book is your roadmap to becoming a better leader. This definitive guide to leadership includes:

Everything you need to know to become an authentic and dynamic leader.

"My shelves groan under stacks of leadership books. But just a very few stand out as solid gold. The Financial Times Guide to Leadership merits inclusion in that select company. There is simply no excuse for not applying its very practical steps. I'd urge you to start or continue your journey here!"

Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence

"Finally, a first-class leadership book that focuses on the 'how' and 'what' as well as the 'why' and 'when'. Full of practical steps to take you to the next level."

Doug Richard, entrepreneur and founder of School for Startups

"Leadership is at the intersection of competence, charisma and the ability to think big for yourself and for others. The Financial Times Guide to Leadership gives you the tools you need to navigate this junction with success." 

Mercedes Erra, Executive President of Havas Worldwide

This jargon-busting book describes how the bond and money markets work and how they impact on everyday life. It assumes no specialised prior knowledge of finance theory and provides an authoritative and comprehensive run-down of the workings of the modern financial system.

It’s in the money markets where money, or the value of money, can be bought and sold. It’s the place where Treasury bills, deposits, repurchase agreements, short-lived mortgages etc, can be traded. These are crucial to the global economy because they provide liquidity funding for the global financial system.

Bond markets operate in the same way but are financial markets where participants can issue new debt or buy and sell existing debt – known as bonds. As with money markets, bond markets are key because they provide money where no money previously existed (think of your mortgage).

Using real world examples from media such as the Financial Times, bestselling author Glen Arnold gives an international perspective on these markets.

‘Practical, concise and full of tips that every manager needs to know, The Financial Times Guide to Management provides a powerful guide for leaders at every level.’

Arianna Huffington, Chairman, President and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group

‘This is clear, encouraging and packed with good sense – just like its author. A winner.’

‘Amidst the myriad of books on leadership, this guide presents an unusually concrete, comprehensive and practical set of principles and learnings for managers at every level.’

John Pepper, Former CEO & Chairman P&G; Former Chairman Walt Disney

From motivating a team and developing star talent to controlling budgets and fostering innovation, The Financial Times Guide to Management is your authoritative guide to becoming an effective manager.

Full of practical tips and advice, this defi nitive handbook offers

solutions to the everyday challenges of:

There is also on-the-ground advice from the executive frontline,

with insights from leaders including Paul Polman (CEO, Unilever),

Steve Marshall (Chairman, Balfour Beatty) and Cilla Snowball

(Chairman and CEO, AMV BBDO).

Whether you’re a new team leader or an experienced director,

this book contains everything you need to know to become an

outstanding manager.

Want to take your company to the next level?  You need a roadmap, a strategy.  Preferably one that is simple, workable and saleable.  This book provides you with just that.  It sets out a straightforward strategy development process, the ‘Strategy Pyramid’, and guides you through it.  It uses a lively central case study throughout, as well as drawing on examples of how real businesses have developed winning strategies.  Whether you are intent on growing your business, or setting out on your start-up, this book offers an uncomplicated, practical and readable guide on how to get the strategy you need for your business to succeed.

It offers sound advice on the following areas:

The FT Essential Guide to Developing a Business Strategy will help businesses of all sizes to chart and realise their growth ambitions.

The Financial Times Guide to Wealth Management is your comprehensive guide to achieving financial security and stability by planning, preserving and enhancing your wealth. As well as being fully updated throughout, it includes five new chapters on socially responsible and impact investing; property, land and woodlands; single premium investment bonds; non-trust structures and young people and money.

Whether you’re a beginner wanting an introduction to financial planning or an experienced investor looking to pass your wealth on to others, this is the book for you.  Drawing on his 25 years’ experience as a financial adviser to successful families, and written in clear and concise language, Jason Butler will give you both the understanding and confidence you need to make successful financial decisions, enabling you to:

- Define your life goals and financial personality so that you can build an effective wealth plan

- Navigate the maze of investment options and choose the best one for your needs

- Understand when and how to get professional help which delivers value

- Clarify the need for and role of insurance, tax structures, pensions and trusts

- Develop a wealth succession plan which matches your values and preferences

One of the most important financial plans you can have is saving and investing for your retirement. Quite simply, the success of this plan determines whether you’re going to live comfortably after you stop working.

The Financial Times Guide to Saving and Investing for Retirement will lead you through a bewildering maze of financial tools and provide advice on crucial investment decisions. It provides everything you need to know about how to save and invest so that you can successfully plan for your retirement. It is packed with invaluable information on taxes, ISAs, pensions, investing across different assets and buying property.

The Financial Times Guide to Saving and Investing for Retirement will help you:

‘A comprehensive framework for savings, investment and consumption in the real world - a must read for every individual.’

Prof. Narayan Y. Naik, Professor of Finance & Co-Head of Finance Department, London Business School

'Yoram Lustig cuts through the noise to give you the practitioner’s insight on developing and implementing a robust financial plan'

Nick Bartlett, CFA, Director of Education, CFA UK

‘Anyone whether they are 20, 60 or 80 should read this book. It will make retirement much more financially enjoyable.’

Lawrence Gosling, Founding Editor of Investment Week and Group Editorial Director of Incisive Media, which is the publisher of Professional Pensions

How does a business differentiate itself through the customer experience and win exemplary levels of customer advocacy and love?

Customer  Experience  is  a  hot  topic  in  business  circles,  for  good  reason,  managing  the  customer experience has become increasingly complex, yet also essential for businesses to compete and grow.  Whilst in no way trying to diminish the importance of this work, there is an elephant in the room called differentiation. This is where the Brand takes centre stage.

In this book, you'll discover what is meant by the Branded Customer Experience, why it’s so important today, some of the common hurdles in executing a brand experience strategy, compelling examples from companies that are getting it right, and simple steps that companies can start taking today to deliver a customer experience that is not only efficient, but reflects (and never loses sight of) what is distinctive and desirable about the brand.

Despite 80% of business leaders thinking it important to make the most of social media, 70% admitted that their efforts are currently ineffective - CMI SURVEY.

This business book is great for leaders, middle managers and entrepreneurs interested in the following categories:

The FT Guide to Social Media Strategy will help you understand how social media works, how to use it to build your networks and deliver business growth.

'Whether in today's corporate world, in the public sector or in civil society, leaders must fully appreciate both the strategic impact and risk social media can mean for them. This book needs to be on top of their reading list!'

Thomas Schultz-Jagow, Senior Director Campaigns and Communications, Amnesty International

'A wealth of practical advice to navigate the complexities of social media and minimise the risks.'

Guy Lawrence, CEO, Mast-Jaegermeister UK

'Martin Thomas grasps the social media nettle and details the steps for leaders to master it for personal and business results. Read - and implement - this book by a respected master marketer.'

Tom Trainor, Chief Executive, Marketing Institute of Ireland

'A practical how to guide for today’s board director, that should help them overcome their fears and mistrust and begin to do it with confidence and do it their way.'

Jonathan Turner, Chairman, Oxford Strategic Marketing.

Social media is transforming customer service, market research, recruitment, campaigning and internal communications and encouraging the development of alternative business models and new corporate structures. There has never been a more important time for every business professional to understand its power, potential and pitfalls, but although you might recognise its growing importance, few business people have the knowledge, skills and confidence to make the most of the opportunity. Without a clear understanding of social media and a strategy for you and your business, you risk being exposed and ill-prepared.

The FT Guide to Social Media Strategy provides a clear roadmap with practical guidance, inspirational case studies and proven methodologies.

You’ll understand how to use social media and gain competitive advantage by generating better results, making more sales, building stronger and more valuable networks and enhancing the potency of their personal digital brand.

You’ll also discover plans and processes to manager and mitigate against the risks of social media.

This book is broken down into three core sections, focusing initially on the core social media knowledge that every business professional needs, before moving on to the use of social media to develop a personal digital brand and finally an explanation of how to harness the power of social media to boost business performance.

Presented in a user-friendly language, with clear guidelines, informative case studies and practical advice, each chapter features a mix of case studies, practical advice, the latest research and intelligence from leading social media specialists and the outcome of interviews with business leaders, marketing and social media experts and industry commentators.

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87% of companies state I&D is a value or priority area for them, but only 10% of I&D programmes are fully mature . This is even though research shows that organisations with an inclusive culture perform better, are more innovative and agile, and achieve better business outcomes.

Written by a respected I&D expert, The FT Guide to Inclusion and Diversity shows you everything you need to know about how to create and implement a I&D strategy that will have a positive impact on people performance and business results.

This book gives you a step-by-step guide to the tools, theory and the latest new thinking you need to design a compelling I&D strategy for your organisation. Clear, compelling and comprehensive, this book is designed for leaders and executives to ensure they can bring talented people together from different backgrounds and thinking, creating greater success and benefits to business performance and profitability.

This book takes you through a fair and equal approach developed specifically for senior business leaders. It will help you:

Whether you’re about to start your own business or have already taken the plunge and want to keep everything on track, make sure you have a copy of The Financial Times Guide to Business Start Up on your shelf. Regularly updated, this edition covers all the latest legal and financial changes you need to be aware of following the Budget.

All you need to know to make your start up a success.