INVESTING
Looking for stock value
A value-investing strategy determines whether a particular stock is priced less than its intrinsic value.
Developed by professors Benjamin Graham and David Dodd at the Columbia Business School in the 1920s and 1930s, value investing has evolved with time and today counts among its practitioners famed investor Warren Buffett.
Value investing can require a significant commitment in time and research. But if you’d like to learn more about this approach to investing and its principles, a number of websites provide some useful insights. Here are a few:
• InvestingAnswers: Provides unique take on value investing, spotlighting mistakes investors can make. www.investinganswers.com/investment-ideas/value-investing/5-fatal-mistakes-value-investors-make-1920
• Investopedia: Details how to screen and select value stocks. www.investopedia.com/university/stockpicking/stockpicking3.asp
• InvestorGuide.com: Breaks down the value-investing stock strategy. www.investorguide.com/article/12293/stock-strategies-basics-of-the-value-investing-stock-strategy-igu/
• NASDAQ: Examines the value-investing strategy and the indicators investors should consider. www.nasdaq.com/article/growth-income-and-value-investing-basics-cm148437
• Stock Market Investors: Highlights the value-investing criteria for selecting a stock. www.stock-market-investors.com/stock-strategies-and-systems/value-investing-basics.htm.
— By Chuck Myers
McClatchy Newspapers
management
Handling difficult partner
Q: I have been repeatedly asked to collaborate with a partner company that is hard to work with. They don’t keep to the plan and don’t always come through with the quality we need. What can I do?
A: Understand why you’re being asked to work with the company; if you can’t influence that decision, find ways to keep your partner on track.
Manage this situation with equanimity. Annoyance or frustration may be understandable, but won’t help you move forward. Examine your emotions, considering whether they’ll serve you well. Acknowledge them, and let go of those that lead to bad actions.
Consider the nature of the collaboration so far. Has it been a collaboration of equals, or is one side dominant? If you’re dominating, your partner company may not be sharing reservations about the plan or may not clearly understand expectations. If the partner is in the lead, are you speaking up to share concerns and help keep things moving?
Now, think about the reasons this company is sought out. Setting aside your challenges, how would you describe the unique value it brings? Perhaps it’s good at describing a vision — articulating the “what.” Push yourself to understand this so that you can design the collaboration to play to its strengths. Note that there may be other reasons as well, such as access to a certain customer base; it’s important to recognize business realities.
Use a sounding board to work through details. Ask for support from your boss or other decision-maker, using a constructive tone focused on successful collaboration. If this is the first time you’ve brought up your concerns, make sure you’re not whining; that won’t help you get a successful outcome, which could include action from your higher-ups.
Consider what do you want your partner company to do differently? What steps can you take to make it happen? Do you need to make changes in how you communicate with the company?
At a meeting, state a clear purpose — continued successful projects — and ask questions about how past projects have gone from the partner’s perspective.
— By Liz Reyer
Minneapolis Star Tribune