In How to Smell a Rat, Ken Fisher explores how most investment scams can be easily detected and avoided. With his 37 years managing money for individuals and institutions, 25 years writing for the "Portfolio Strategy" column in Forbes, and lifetime of studying markets, Fisher has witnessed countless money managers—both good and bad. He illustrates and examines the five most common signs of financial fraud in detail. Ultimately, readers will learn how to use the five signs as a checklist to identify and avoid con artists, or "rats." How to Smell a Rat is a critical resource for any investor to spot a potential financial disaster before it is too late. For a free trial of EBSCO Business Book Summaries click here. Related book summaries in the BBS library: The Devil’s Casino, Fundamentals of Enterprise Risk Management, And Then the Roof Caved In

Exclusive Offer From Business Book Summaries: At Business Book Summaries, we believe people become better professionals through learning and that business books contain some of the best and most current business insight. We provide comprehensive, concise summaries of the best business books available. With more than 260 summaries produced each year, the BBS library includes more than 1,450 summaries of the top business books. This Thanksgiving week, subscribe from November 21st through the 27th using the below discount code to receive 30% off a one-year subscription (regularly $225). To learn more about our site and summaries, please visit www.bizsum.com. Discount code: BizThanksgiving2011 Have a happy holiday! The BBS Team

Since my last post about Netflix’s split into two separate companies, they have called off their plans, and will remain the same company providing the same original service: "What we misjudged was how quickly to move there. We compounded the problem with our lack of explanation about the rising cost of the expansion of streaming content and steady DVD costs, so that…many perceived us as greedy. Finally, we announced and then retracted a separate brand for DVD…This branding incident further dented our reputation, and caused a temporary cancellation surge." They have claimed that this decision was based on the overwhelming customer reaction to their plans. Interestingly enough, this sort of behavior is constant throughout businesses inAmericaas of late. Similar to Netflix, Bank of America announced that they had decided to increase their fee for customers using their debit cards. This, like Netflix’s price increase, was not well received from their customers. The amount of customer backlash was enough to make Bank of America turn on its heels and retract their plans to increase their fees. I suppose what seems most intriguing in these common situations is that companies do not take their customers into their decision-making processes, until their customer base completely turns against them. Do companies think that customer loyalty is not an important factor anymore? What will it take for companies to actually consult their customers before they make price increases or significant changes in service—an obvious backlash, or a considerable loss of customers?

In Fierce Leadership, Susan Scott’s goal is to help individuals and organizations abandon those "best" practices that no longer serve a purpose and replace them with superior practices that get the job done. Fierce leadership is a state of mind that allows leaders to ask the questions that no one will ask, say the things that no one will say, abandon paint-by-numbers leadership, touch their own emotions and those of others, and stop trying to keep everything in the discreetly neutral. She details alternative methods to traditional business practices. For a free trial of EBSCO Business Book Summaries click here. Related book summaries in the BBS library:  The Extraordinary Leader, Now…Build a Great Business!,  From Values to Action

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In today’s complex organizations it is not uncommon to have as many as 50 percent of employees working on virtual teams. Virtual collaboration has already begun to transform many business sectors. The gradual shift of the U.S. economy from manufacturing and production to one of knowledge and information has contributed to a dramatic change in how and where people work. Virtual Team Success leverages the authors’ global research study and hands-on experience to provide a resource for virtual team members and team leaders. The authors suggest that successful virtual teams are characterized by members that effectively interact among themselves, build a solid basis of trust with each other, and have strong team building and interpersonal skills. For a free trial of EBSCO Business Book Summaries click here. Related book summaries in the BBS library: The Distance Manager, Managing the Mobile Workforce, Creativity in Virtual Teams

Most people today are overwhelmed with work both at work and at home. Working more efficiently is one solution, but few know where to begin. In Get-It-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More, Stever Robbins has identified specific techniques for working smarter and getting more done in the same amount of time or less. His methods are the result of working with clients for years and helping them change the way they approach tasks. For a free trial of EBSCO Business Book Summaries click here. Related book summaries in the BBS library: The Personal Efficiency Program, The Time Trap, Focus Like a Laser Beam

Kurt Mortensen defines charisma as the ability to easily build rapport, effectively influence others, inspire them to achieve more, and in the process make allies for life. It is a vital motivational life skill that can and must be mastered if one is going to succeed in influencing others. Charisma is the ability to empower and persuade others to believe and trust in a leader and want to be influenced by that leader. Charisma permeates every aspect of life; Career, relationships, ability to influence, and income are all related to one’s ability to radiate charisma. In The Laws of Charisma, Mortensen outlines 30 skills, traits, and attributes that generate charisma. These can be learned, developed, and mastered. For a free trial of EBSCO Business Book Summaries click here. Related book summaries in the BBS library: Increase Your Influence at Work, Influencer, The 360-Degree Leader

In What Your Body Says (and how to master the message), Sharon Sayler explains how nonverbal signs are a very influential part of communication, sometimes even more so than the verbal part of the message. Nonverbal gestures complement, reinforce, and emphasize the importance of the verbal message for the audience. Those who intentionally use nonverbal gestures to accentuate and control the accompanying verbal message are able to build relationships and large circles of influence simply because they are able to understand and be understood at a deeper level than most. Though learning about and understanding how nonverbal signals work is important, the true value of nonverbal signals comes in implementation. For a free trial of EBSCO Business Book Summaries click here. Related book summaries in the BBS library: The Nonverbal Advantage, The Secret Language of Business, The Power of Body Language

Tablet computers, smart phones, and mobile technology in general is permeating our personal and professional lives. These devices have made working professionals more productive on the go, but they also have the side effect of making many of us less focused and less able to sustain prolonged attention to any one task. With this in mind, many learning professionals are beginning to favor shorter learning exercises and courses over the more traditional full-length courses in order to ensure learners are fully engaged for the entirety of the learning exercise. Chief Learning Officer magazine recently released an article relating to this "bite sized" approach to learning. As working professionals become more adept at multitasking, attention spans are likely to continue decreasing, and learning professionals must be ready to adapt their learning programs in order to cope with this new reality. Shortening learning courses and allowing professionals to access learning materials on their schedule are two ways in which learning can continue to offer value to companies and employees alike. Related book summaries in the BBS library: Tailored Learning, Hold On, You Lost Me!, The Mobile Learning Edge