"If you don't think that some employees have figured out ingenious ways to steal from businesses, read this book. The real-life examples will change your mind." —Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and Chairman, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners"An easy-to-read, but comprehensive step-by-step approach that covers every potential area for employee fraud and embezzlement. Great checklists at the end of each chapter show what steps to put into place for controls and protection. Includes real-life examples that really 'bring the story home.' " —Jean L. Conover, CPA, past CEO/CFO, Jefferson Radiology PC"This book is a must-read for seasoned entrepreneurs as well as those considering entering their own business venture. While developed for small business, the risk detection and prevention methodologies presented by Mr. Pedneault are universal to all businesses. The concise checklists provide ready guidance for establishing a complete system of controls."—Denise H. Armstrong, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Sea Research Foundation, Inc. d/b/a Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration"This book is a must for every individual owning their own business. Mr. Pedneault clearly articulates the fraud risks that occur in each business system. In the book, he offers practical advice for internal controls and illustrates the risks with real-life examples."—Leonard W. Vona, President, Fraud Auditing, Inc.

Praise for IMPLEMENTING VALUE PRICING A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms "Ron Baker is the most prolific and best writer when it comes to pricing services. This is a must-read for executives and partners in small to large firms. Ron provides the basics, the advanced ideas, the workbooks, the case studies—everything. This is a must-have and a terrific book." —Reed K. Holden founder and CEO, Holden Advisors, Corp., Associate Professor, Columbia University www.holdenadvisors.com "We've known through Ron Baker's earlier books that he's not just an extraordinary thinker and truly brilliant writer—he's a mover and a shaker on a mission. This is the End of Time! Brilliant." —Paul Dunn Chairman, B1G1® www.b1g1.com "Implementing Value Pricing is a powerful blend of theory, strategy, and tactics. Ron Baker's most recent offering is ambitious in scope, exploring topics that include economic theory, customer orientation, value identification, service positioning, and pricing strategy. He weaves all of them together seamlessly, and includes numerous examples to illustrate his primary points. I have applied the knowledge I've gained from his body of work, and the benefits to me—and to my customers—have been immediate, significant, and ongoing." —Brent Uren Principal, Valuation & Business Modeling Ernst & Young® www.ey.com "Ron Baker is a revolutionary. He is on a radical crusade to align the interests of service providers with those of their customers by having lawyers, accountants, and consultants charge based on the value they provide, rather than the effort it takes. Implementing Value Pricing is a manifesto that establishes a clear case for the revolution. It provides detailed guidance that includes not only strategies and tactics, but key predictive indicators for success. It is richly illustrated by the successes of firms that have embraced value-based pricing to make their services not only more cost-effective for their customers, but more profitable as well. The hallmark of a manifesto is an unyielding sense of purpose and a call to action. Let the revolution begin." —Robert G. Cross, Chairman and CEO, Revenue Analytics, Inc. Author, Revenue Management: Hard-Core Tactics for Market Domination

It’s not the best companies that prevail in the marketplace, but rather the best brands. The goal of business strategy is not just to be better, but different. Learn how to build a differentiating value proposition by clearly and carefully defining your brand boundaries: Calling, Competencies, Customers, and Culture. Positioning for Professionalsshows how a well-defined value proposition can help professional service firms create their own success instead of copying the success of others, including such concepts as: How and why professional service brands become homogenizedWhy standing for everything is the same as standing for nothingWhy there’s no such thing as full serviceDeep and narrow as a strategic imperativeWhy it’s better to be a profit leader than a market leaderDifferentiation and price premiumsHow to map your brand on the matrix of relevance and differentiationHow to define a value proposition that will make your firm intensely appealing to the customers who want you for what you do bestBased on the proven premise that the most profitable business strategy is not to aim at the center of the market, but rather at the edges, Positioning for Professionals is written for leaders, managers, and other senior executives of service companies in with a particular emphasis on professional service firms.

A new, lucid approach to the formulation of accounting policies for tax reporting Unraveling the layers of complexity surrounding the formulation of accounting policies for tax reporting, Taxation of US Investment Partnerships and Hedge Funds: Accounting Policies, Tax Allocations and Performance Presentation enables your corporation to implement sound up-front accounting and tax policies in order to reduce the overall cost of CFO and legal functions within a U.S. Investment partnership. Understand the pitfalls and optimize across legitimate policies that are consistent with the IRS regulationsPresents a clear roadmap for accounting, tax policies, tax filing and performance presentation for US investment partnerships and hedge fundsProviding tremendous understanding to a complex topic, Taxation of US Investment Partnerships and Hedge Funds is guaranteed to demystify the inner workings of the formulation of accounting policies for tax reporting.

The ultimate "tricks of the trade" guide to mergers and acquisitionsMergers and Acquisitions Playbook provides the practical tricks of the trade on how to get maximum value for a middle-market business. This book uniquely covers how to prepare for a sale, how to present the business most positively, and how to control the sale timetable. Written in a straight-talking styleProvides the tricks of the trade on how to get maximum value for a middle-market businessShows how the sellers can take capitalize their inherent "unfair advantages"Examines the differences between "value" and "currency"Explains how to handle bankruptcy and distress company salesOffers tips on managing your lawyers in the documentation processFilled with empirical examples of successful-and unsuccessful-techniques, this practical guide takes you through every step of the M&A process, from how to manage confidentiality, how to create competition (or the impression of competition), to what to do once the deal is closed.

"If you don't think that some employees have figured out ingenious ways to steal from businesses, read this book. The real-life examples will change your mind." —Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and Chairman, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners"An easy-to-read, but comprehensive step-by-step approach that covers every potential area for employee fraud and embezzlement. Great checklists at the end of each chapter show what steps to put into place for controls and protection. Includes real-life examples that really 'bring the story home.' " —Jean L. Conover, CPA, past CEO/CFO, Jefferson Radiology PC"This book is a must-read for seasoned entrepreneurs as well as those considering entering their own business venture. While developed for small business, the risk detection and prevention methodologies presented by Mr. Pedneault are universal to all businesses. The concise checklists provide ready guidance for establishing a complete system of controls."—Denise H. Armstrong, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Sea Research Foundation, Inc. d/b/a Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration"This book is a must for every individual owning their own business. Mr. Pedneault clearly articulates the fraud risks that occur in each business system. In the book, he offers practical advice for internal controls and illustrates the risks with real-life examples."—Leonard W. Vona, President, Fraud Auditing, Inc.

Praise for IMPLEMENTING VALUE PRICING A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms "Ron Baker is the most prolific and best writer when it comes to pricing services. This is a must-read for executives and partners in small to large firms. Ron provides the basics, the advanced ideas, the workbooks, the case studies—everything. This is a must-have and a terrific book." —Reed K. Holden founder and CEO, Holden Advisors, Corp., Associate Professor, Columbia University www.holdenadvisors.com "We've known through Ron Baker's earlier books that he's not just an extraordinary thinker and truly brilliant writer—he's a mover and a shaker on a mission. This is the End of Time! Brilliant." —Paul Dunn Chairman, B1G1® www.b1g1.com "Implementing Value Pricing is a powerful blend of theory, strategy, and tactics. Ron Baker's most recent offering is ambitious in scope, exploring topics that include economic theory, customer orientation, value identification, service positioning, and pricing strategy. He weaves all of them together seamlessly, and includes numerous examples to illustrate his primary points. I have applied the knowledge I've gained from his body of work, and the benefits to me—and to my customers—have been immediate, significant, and ongoing." —Brent Uren Principal, Valuation & Business Modeling Ernst & Young® www.ey.com "Ron Baker is a revolutionary. He is on a radical crusade to align the interests of service providers with those of their customers by having lawyers, accountants, and consultants charge based on the value they provide, rather than the effort it takes. Implementing Value Pricing is a manifesto that establishes a clear case for the revolution. It provides detailed guidance that includes not only strategies and tactics, but key predictive indicators for success. It is richly illustrated by the successes of firms that have embraced value-based pricing to make their services not only more cost-effective for their customers, but more profitable as well. The hallmark of a manifesto is an unyielding sense of purpose and a call to action. Let the revolution begin." —Robert G. Cross, Chairman and CEO, Revenue Analytics, Inc. Author, Revenue Management: Hard-Core Tactics for Market Domination

It’s not the best companies that prevail in the marketplace, but rather the best brands. The goal of business strategy is not just to be better, but different. Learn how to build a differentiating value proposition by clearly and carefully defining your brand boundaries: Calling, Competencies, Customers, and Culture. Positioning for Professionalsshows how a well-defined value proposition can help professional service firms create their own success instead of copying the success of others, including such concepts as: How and why professional service brands become homogenizedWhy standing for everything is the same as standing for nothingWhy there’s no such thing as full serviceDeep and narrow as a strategic imperativeWhy it’s better to be a profit leader than a market leaderDifferentiation and price premiumsHow to map your brand on the matrix of relevance and differentiationHow to define a value proposition that will make your firm intensely appealing to the customers who want you for what you do bestBased on the proven premise that the most profitable business strategy is not to aim at the center of the market, but rather at the edges, Positioning for Professionals is written for leaders, managers, and other senior executives of service companies in with a particular emphasis on professional service firms.

A new, lucid approach to the formulation of accounting policies for tax reporting Unraveling the layers of complexity surrounding the formulation of accounting policies for tax reporting, Taxation of US Investment Partnerships and Hedge Funds: Accounting Policies, Tax Allocations and Performance Presentation enables your corporation to implement sound up-front accounting and tax policies in order to reduce the overall cost of CFO and legal functions within a U.S. Investment partnership. Understand the pitfalls and optimize across legitimate policies that are consistent with the IRS regulationsPresents a clear roadmap for accounting, tax policies, tax filing and performance presentation for US investment partnerships and hedge fundsProviding tremendous understanding to a complex topic, Taxation of US Investment Partnerships and Hedge Funds is guaranteed to demystify the inner workings of the formulation of accounting policies for tax reporting.

The ultimate "tricks of the trade" guide to mergers and acquisitionsMergers and Acquisitions Playbook provides the practical tricks of the trade on how to get maximum value for a middle-market business. This book uniquely covers how to prepare for a sale, how to present the business most positively, and how to control the sale timetable. Written in a straight-talking styleProvides the tricks of the trade on how to get maximum value for a middle-market businessShows how the sellers can take capitalize their inherent "unfair advantages"Examines the differences between "value" and "currency"Explains how to handle bankruptcy and distress company salesOffers tips on managing your lawyers in the documentation processFilled with empirical examples of successful-and unsuccessful-techniques, this practical guide takes you through every step of the M&A process, from how to manage confidentiality, how to create competition (or the impression of competition), to what to do once the deal is closed.